Always Yours
by Vamp Queen
Summary: "If I give my heart to you, it will be always yours." Seifer, Zell, Irvine, and Squall find themselves with three girls and more problems than they know what to do with. *Epilouge up!*
1. A Dream Is Sleeping Magic

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy 8 or its characters. These are Squaresoft's. I do, however, own Raven, Terra, and Luna and those relating to the Witches Three. Ask before using them. I am not the only author here, so please bear with the different styles. Chloe, Alex, thanks for help and permission. On with the ficcie!

Hi. I'm Raven. At least, that's what people call me. My given name is Fauna Keisha Moss. You'd change it too. It's the same for my two best friends Luna and terra. Luna's name is Flora Rose Bush. Terra is Merriweather Briar. Together we are Witches Three, three friends of pure magic blood who are the strongest in their area when they work together. Otherwise, life was normal until that one day when the three of us were playing Final Fantasy 8.

"Help! The Tonberries are coming!" Luna, of course. Because she concentrates on strength, she sucks at most games.

"No! The last battle! Lost!" that was Terra, our strategy master. 

I smirked as I watched the ending cinema start on my screen. I had beaten the game.

"What?!" coursed the two as they ran over to me.

"How'd you do that?" Luna asked.

I smiled. "Simple. I copied Luna's strength moves and powered up while using Terra's strategies. Thus, I created the perfect team. As always."

"Oh…" Luna said quietly. She's the shy one, except when she's mad. She's the type of person who would prefer to garden than anything social. Terra just does whatever. I, being a healer, have to get along with every body. And thankfully, it comes naturally.

Terra looked over to me, with that gleam in her eyes. "You know, Raven," she began but was cut off. 

"No. Whatever it is, no. Uh-uh. Not one of your ideas. We don't tamper with magic. You know that!"

                "But I found a spell that grants your heart's desire. And ours is to be in the Final Fantasy 8 world so let's try!" with that, she started chanting in Latin. I heard our names thrown in there somewhere, tying us to the spell, as Luna came over to see what it was. Multicolored smoke filled the room and suddenly the floor was gone. We fell into what seemed like a different world. I had just enough time to think 'Was that a chocobo?' when we landed on something… or someone.

                "Ow…" I said, rubbing my head.

                I jumped three feet when I heard a male voice say, "You can say that again, doll." It had a faint Southern accent. It also sounded exactly like Irvine Kinneas. Or, at least, how he was supposed to sound.

                "'You can say that again'? Kinneas, why don't you look ay the girl before flirting with her? Chicken Wuss, Puberty Boy, you guys ok?" I could have sworn that that was Seifer…

                "What?! Don't call me that!"

                "…Whatever."

                Zell? Squall? I jumped up at the same Terra and Luna did. We seem to do that a lot.

                "Ok, you guys see them too?" Luna whispered.

                "Yeah… Terra, I have a question." I said, not looking away from Irvine, Zell, Squall, and Seifer.

                "What?" Terra asked, oblivious to what would happen. Luna, however, plugged her ears.

                "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?!"

Like it? Hate it? Tell me how and why.  :::whiney::: Please?


	2. Dancing Chocobo

Chapter 2

Chloe

Terra's P.O.V.

A/n: ok, the real credit for this one goes out to my dear friend Chloe, who's helping me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, absolutely nothing pertaining to this story except the Witches Three and possibly the idea. What, you thought that if I can write a story, I could write a disclaimer? Get real! It's all Squaresoft's or whoever. Anyways… enjoy!

     "Hey, stop shouting!" I said. "Don't get so mad at me."

     "Mad?" Raven asked mockingly. "Why would I be mad? I mean, yeah, you and your Latin transportation devices have once again gotten us into a strange place with four strange beings from another universe, but is that any reason to get mad?!?"

     "Hey, it was you who said, and I quote, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we could travel to the FF8 world?' I granted your wish. I thought you'd like it."

     "He-llo! Earth to Miss Briar! I said it would be nice. I never said I actually wanted to go. Thinking it'd be cool to go and wanting to go are two different things!"

     My name is Merriweather Briar, but everyone just calls me Terra. Except, of course, when people are mad at me for little things, they call me something weird like Miss Merriweather Raine Briar.

     That Raven. She's usually pretty calm, but when I decide to pull another one of my spell stunts, she goes ballistic.

     Luna still had her ears plugged, ducking away to avoid the shouting. She's shy and antisocial, the complete opposite of me; I'm energetic and bold, and she's . . . well, timid. But don't let that fool you: when she needs to be, she can be a hurtling ball of fire and fury, making boulders fly and ordering ivy plants to strangle her victims. In fact, the only people that can match or even exceed her power are me and Raven.

     "I told you not to do it!" Raven yelled. "I told you, but oh, no, you just had to, didn't you?"

     "Oh, live a little, Birdie," I responded, using the nickname that she loathed so much. "I'm just trying to have some fun."

     "Well, do you have any way of getting us back?" Raven asked. "Do you?"

     "Of course I do," I replied, "but I don't want to leave now –"

     The bewildered guys beside us – Squall, Seifer, Zell, and Irvine – had apparently had enough. Irvine stepped forth and separated us, placing a hand on each of our shoulders and pulling us away from each other.

     "Hey, hey," he said in his smooth Southern twang, "calm down, gals. Let's not get into a bloody catfight, 'kay? Wouldn't want to see such lovely girls get any bruises."

     "Shut up, Irvine," Seifer said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "I'm getting sick and tired of having to watch you flirt with every single girl you meet."

     "Yeah, give it a rest, will you?" Zell said.

     Raven sighed, calmer now, and held her head in her hands. "You'd better get us back somehow," she said.

     "Just don't worry about it," I replied. I turned to Luna, still plugging her ears, and said, "It's safe now."

     She unplugged them for a minute and said, "Are you sure?"

     "It's alright, little lady," Irvine said. "No need to be scared of nothin'." She sighed in relief.

     Zell came forward and asked, "So what the hell are you doing falling outta the sky like that? It's not fun being squashed like a bug."

     "Unless they happen to be three very pretty females," Irvine interjected. "Right, guys?"

     "I told you to shut up," Seifer said, glaring at him.

     "Squall?" Irvine asked him. "Your opinion?"

     Squall just looked away and said, "Whatever –"

     "– Whatever. I knew it."

     "Anyway," Zell interrupted, clearing his throat. "Can you girls explain what happened?"

     "Well, it's not like it was anything we could control," Raven said. "It wasn't exactly pleasurable having to fall on top of you for us, either."

     Zell shrugged. "Ah, well. No worries."

     "Who are you, anyway?" Luna asked.

     Raven and I gave her a strange look. "What kind of stupid question is that?" I asked. "Who do you think they are? Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, Seifer Almasy, and Irvine Kinneas. The ones that you were obsessing over during that boss battle with Adel?"

     The guys' eyes bulged.

     "How the hell did you get that information?" Zell asked. "You don't know us. We don't know you. What are you, stalkers or something?"

     I waved my hand dismissively. "Long story," I explained. "We'll tell you later."

     Zell and Seifer looked away uncomfortably. Squall just stood there, saying nothing, while Irvine smiled.

     "Well, you seem to know us," he said. "I think I'd like to get to know you girls." He walked up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist. "We'll start with you, babe."

     Seifer sighed in aggravation. "Kinneas, you are disgusting."

     I giggled. "The name's Terra. Terra Briar."

     "Mmm," Irvine said with an impish grin. "It suits you. A gorgeous name for a gorgeous girl."

     He looked at Raven next, still wrapped around me, as she raised an eyebrow at me. She doesn't like how I let guys flirt with me like that. She thinks I'll lose my innocence. Just by letting them flirt. Yeah, right. 

     "And you?" he asked her.

     "Um . . . Raven Moss," she told him.

     "Nice. Very nice. And how about you, chickadee?" 

     Luna looked up nervously. "L-Luna Bush."

     "Yep," I said, "that's the three of us." I broke away from Irvine and walked up to Squall, who was standing away from the group by himself, watching us. He stood up when he saw me coming and crossed his arms. I stopped in front of him and asked him, "And you're Squall, right?"

     "Um . . . yeah," he replied. "Squall Leonhart."

     "Yes, I've heard of you. I hear you're great with a gunblade."

     "I train hard, that's all."

     Luna came up in my head and whispered, "Stop it, Terra. You're making him nervous."

     "I'm making you nervous, you mean."

     "That too."

     "Come on, I'm on a roll. I'll get him talking." I turned back to him and said, "Aren't you the son of the ruler of Esthar? What was his name . . . Laguna Loire?"

     "Yeah, but . . . we aren't close."

     I smiled. "Hmm . . . tall, handsome, and silent. Come on, you can hang out with me." I took him by the arm and tried to pull him toward the rest of the group, but he resisted.

     "I'd prefer to stay here."

     I shrugged. "Suit yourself."

     "So, do you have any place to stay?" Irvine asked.

     Zell groaned. "Irvine, you're driving me nuts. Cut it out with the flirting already!"

     "I'll have to go with Chicken Wuss," Seifer added. "Cowboy-wannabe here doesn't know what he's saying. Ignore him."

     "Actually, we don't have a place to stay," Raven told them.

     "You could come with us to Balamb Garden," Squall said, pointing behind us. I looked behind me, and I saw the gigantic blue military academy floating a little ways away, glowing.

     "I think we could use some rest," I said. "How about you, Raven?"

     Raven just sighed and replied, "Fine. Luna?"

     "Alright," she responded.

     "Alright, then," Zell said. "Come on. We'll show you around. One place you've gotta visit is the cafeteria – they've got the best hot dogs!"

     Seifer rolled his eyes as we started walking towards the Garden. "One, the hot dogs taste like crap, so quit babbling, Zell. Two, Cid might not like having these girls camping out there."

     "They have extra rooms," Irvine said. "We'll be fine." He walked over to my side and put an arm around my waist. "So, Terra . . . tell me more about yourself."

     As we continued to flirt with each other, Squall stared at each of the strange newcomers from the sky, probably wondering how we'd managed to suddenly drop in. But I noticed that when his eyes fell on me, they sort of stayed there, watching. I smiled at him, and he immediately looked away.

     We came to a bunch of large, golden chocobos – great big canaries that can be ridden like a horse. I've always loved chocobos, so naturally I was thrilled at the chance to ride one.

     "Whoa!" I said in amazement. "Chocobos!"

     "Nice, ain't they?" Irvine said.

     He studied us all for a second before saying, "There's four chocobos and seven of us. Three of us will have to carry one of the girls." He grinned at me and announced, "I'll take Terra."

     "Oh, no, you don't," Zell objected. "You've done enough of that mess. You're not getting anybody."

     "Shoot," Irvine said, snapping his fingers.

     "So who rides with who?" Raven asked. "Luna, why don't you go with Zell?"

     Luna studied Zell for a minute before saying, "Okay."

     "And somebody's going to have to go with Seifer . . ." I trailed off.

     Raven immediately pointed at me. I retaliated by pointing back and adding, "And it's not going to be me."

     She let her arms fall in defeat and walked over to Seifer. I went up to Squall and said, "I'm with you, then."

     Irvine gave me the puppy dog eyes and took my hand. "Come on, Terra, don't listen to them. Why don't you come with me?"

     I pulled away and replied, "Because my escort has already been chosen. Sorry."

     "Shoot."

     Luna and Raven were already being taught how to mount the chocobos as I struggled to lead Squall by the arm over to our chocobo. "Come on," I said, "we're supposed to be leaving now."

     "I'm used to riding alone," he replied.

     "You're going to have to start socializing at some point in your life, Squall. Try something new for once and help me with the chocobo, unless you want to walk back to the Garden."

     He finally gave in and followed me. He lifted me up onto the chocobo's back and swung his leg over it in front of me. Once everybody was settled, we took off.

     The experience was exhilarating. We went at a fairly fast pace, sending my hair flying behind me. The wind rushed past my ears as the chocobo sprinted toward Balamb Garden, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

     This would be the start of a very amazing adventure.

Like it? Love it? Think I should grab Irvine's gun and shoot my computer? Tell me- in the review. ^_^


	3. Room mates?

A/n: ok, all glory to the Almighty Alex! :::Coughcough::: _not_ :::coughcough::: anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: the usual trash. Don't own it, don't have it, and don't sue me.

Chapter 3

Alex 

Luna's P.O.V.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY FELL OUT OF THE SKY?!!" Cid yelled at the four SeeDs standing in front of him, while we stood back towards the door.

                "Like I said they just fell outta the sky," Zell said with a shrug.

                Cid turned to Squall and Seifer and asked them, not believing Zell's nonsense, "What happened?"

                Seifer sighed, " Just like Chicken-Wuss said."

                Squall nodded.

                Cid let out an exasperated sigh, "What am I suppose to do with them then?"                                         

                "Well," Zell started, "We were wondering if they could stay here until we find a way to send them back to wherever they came from..."

                " Fine, but only until we can send them back," he turned to us, "You'll have to share dorms with the other girls?"

                Raven nodded, " I'm fine with it... you, Terra?"

                "Yeah, I don't care, Luna?"

                I looked up from the ground, "Whatever..."

                Zell smiled and turned to Cid, "Then it's settled..." Zell started to say but Irvine cut in.

                " Why can't Terra stay with me???"

                Seifer rolled his eyes, " Don't start that shit again, Kinneas. You are not getting anybody and that's the end."

                Irvine's head slumped down as Zell glared at him and said, "Raven can stay with Fujiin.  Terra can be with Quistis, and... Luna can be with Selphie."

                I started to object, but Raven put a hand over my mouth and whispered, " Deal with it, it'll only be for a short time.  You'll live."

                I narrowed my eyes but consented, "Fine," I said turning to the others, "Can we go now?"

                "Oh... oh sure," Cid stammered turning to the guys, "Will you show them to their rooms?"

                "Sure," Irvine said looking Terra in the eye, "We'd love to..."

                Squall hit him upside the head, "No you don't. Get outta here and flirt with some other helpless girl in the hallway, k?"

                "Another time?" Irvine said with a laugh.

                Terra smiled, "You can bet on it."

                He tipped his hat, "Well, good day then," he said as he walked out.

                Seifer shook his head and took Raven by the hand, "Let's go."

                Raven slapped his hand away, "You can find it without having to drag me like a child..."

                "Oh really?" He said with a hint of amusement.

                "Let's just go," Raven mumbled as they walked out.

                Terra smiled as she saw them leave, " They make such a cute couple don't they, Luna?"

                I looked up at her, " Oh, yeah... I guess..."

                Squall shook his head and started walking out.

                Terra turned to him, " Where are you going?"

                " To show you to Quistis' room," he said with an exasperated sigh.

                " You've been there enough at night, we all thought you moved in," Zell said under his breath.

                Squall glared at him when Terra laughed, "Let's just go, k?"

                " Whatever..." Squall growled turning to the door.

                Cid shook his head as he watched them walk out, Squall trying to block out Terra mindless chatter, and Terra never shutting up. (A/n: well, to Squall, anything more than silence is mindless chatter that never stops, ne?)

                I, on the other hand, tried to walk out quietly by myself while they went on taking, but had no such luck when Zell grabbed my arm, "Where do you think you're going?" He asked with a smile.

                "Uh...uh..."

                "I thought so...I'll show you where Selphie's place is..."

                I raised a brown eyebrow.

                Zell quickly shook his head, "No! No, nothing like that... we're like family that's all..."

                I was silent... as usual.

                Zell held out his hand to me, "So... we go?"

                I turned to Cid, " Thanks for letting us stay here. We really appreciate it."

                Cid smiled, "No problem. Now let Mr. Dincht show you your room."

                "Thanks," I said at last before walking past Zell into the hallway as he shut the door.

                Zell turned to face me, "Now," he said gently taking my hand, "I'll show you to your room."

                I let out a small laugh as we started walking and Zell gave my hand a little squeeze as we went on.

                  A few minutes later we finally got to Selphie's room and Zell opened the door and walked in leading me behind him.  All of a sudden Selphie stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of us.

                I jumped back, a little startled. 

Zell smiled, "It's ok.  Well here's the one and only Selphie," he said introducing her.

                Selphie held out a hand, I cautiously took it and shook her hand.

                She smiled at me and Zell, "I just got a call saying I was gonna have a roommate and I was cleaning up a little when you guys came in..."

                "It's ok," Zell said draping an arm around my shoulders, "This is her..."

                I smiled, "Hi, I'm Luna."

                Selphie smiled brightly at me, "Hi!!"

                "She's not like you, Selphie," Zell said warning her, "So try and teach her the ropes and help her make some friends ok and," he whispered in her ear, thinking I couldn't hear, " Make her feel welcome, k?"

                Selphie whispered back, " Sure, ok."

                I smiled sweetly at them both and Zell grinned his trademark smile and kissed me gently on the cheek and said, "See ya later, ok?"

                "Y...yeah... sure," I stuttered, in shock.

                He smiled again and walked out leaving me alone with Selphie and she turned to me and smiled.

                " What's with you people and your smiles???" I said in frustration.

                "He likes you..." She said walking over to her bed.

                "No he doesn't..."

                She shook her head and laid down, "Think whatever you want but I only go by what I see and I can just see it in his eyes when he looks at you..."

                I turned my back to her, "You're just seeing things..." I said as a smile crept across my face.

END OF CHAPTER 3          

Like it? Love it? Hate the stupid thing? Tell me…. I need 10 reviews total before you get chapter 4. ^_^


	4. Weapons, training, and guys… and the pro...

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, do not own Final Fantasy 8 or any of the lovable characters on it. If I did, I would be out in the streets rejoicing instead of writing fanfics about it. (And I would get rid of Quistis and put in my own character ^_^oO) 

Author's note: ok, for the past three chapters, we have had the authors write it in a first person perspective. Now, it will randomize as it goes along. I will mention in the beginning who is the lucky scapegoat… err… I mean author, of the section. We, um, had some disagreements about this, so the author for Luna will not be writing. But, my co-writer, Chloe, and I will still be writing. We will put up who the author is at the beginning, so sorry for the wait and inconvenience and enjoy!

Chapter 4

Vamp Queen

Third Person Perspective 

Weapons, duels, and guys… and the problems with them.

While Luna was having her meeting with Selphie, Terra and Raven had a few encounters of their own.

Terra walked down the hallway with Squall, trying desperately to get him to talk.

"So, are you training later today?"

Silence.

"Well, I doubt that you need it, you're so good!" she said, mentally yelling at herself. 'Nice, Terra! Flirt with him. That's the way you win Irvine over, not Squall!'

More silence.

Well, at least he hadn't left her standing outside the headmaster's office. Raven was the one who knew her way around, not her. She was about to say something else but Squall finally spoke up.

                "We're here." He said, stopping in front of a door.

                "Oh…" was all that she was able to say. Squall opened the door and motioned for her to walk inside where Quistis was sitting on an overstuffed chair waiting for them.

                "Hello," Quistis greeted them, getting up from her seat and walking over to them. "You must be Terra Briar. I'm Quistis Trepe."

                Terra smiled. She liked Quistis already. "Thanks for letting me stay. I hope it won't be a bother."

                "No, I'm fine. I just hope you won't mind Squall coming over at night. He sometimes spends the night." Quistis winked at Squall. "Right, Squall?"

                "That's only because you're helping me with the extra work from being commander. Jesus, Quistis, you have everyone thinking that we're sleeping together." Squall pushed himself away from the wall that he was leaning on with his foot. "Oh, and Terra, you need to go to the equipment room by the training center at 1700 hours to get a weapon." Squall turned and started to walk out, but stopped at the doorway. "By the way, thank you for the compliment," he said over his shoulder and walked out.

                Terra sighed and turned to Quistis. "Is he always like this?"

                "Yes," said Quistis. "Why, are you trying to get him to open up?" When Terra nodded, Quistis laughed and shook her head. "Then you have your work cut out for you."

Meanwhile….

Raven stalked down the halls in front of Seifer, confident of where she was going. 'After all,' she thought, 'I was able to hack into Squaresoft's computers and find the layout of the dorms when we went on that fieldtrip.'

"Ok, that's it. Slow down," ordered Seifer from not far behind her. Raven could tell that she was pushing her luck, so she brought herself to a complete stop, causing Seifer to run into her. Their heads collided and, from what we've seen, they're both pretty hard.

"Ow, you moron. Watch where you're going." Raven snapped, angry about everything that had happened, not necessarily him.

"Me? What do you think you're doing, stopping so suddenly? Or were you trying to give me a concussion? Shit, you seem to think you rule the world and I'm the dung you stepped in. What's your problem?" Seifer seemed pretty mad right then as he pushed her into the wall.

"Well, you haven't been an angel either. I expected a guy who knew how to act, who could get what he wanted, who knew how to keep a girl around for five minutes."

"And now?" Seifer said, hands by either side of her head. Any normal girl would have realized that at this point, Seifer was hitting on her, but no, she wasn't normal. She grew up in a sheltered environment, with her seven brothers. Big brothers who killed guys for looking at her the wrong way.

"You're an arrogant bastard who has no manners and is worse than the dung I stepped in."

Seifer laughed. "Then you don't know me well enough." Seifer started to lean closer to her. Just as his lips were about to touch her quivering ones, they heard a loud, boisterous voice.

"Hey, Seifer, is that her? Fuu's been worried, ya know? Took you guys a while, ya know?"

Seifer jerked away from Raven as she let out a relieved sigh.

"All right, Raijin, we're coming. We're coming." With that, he started to walk to the big black man. He was almost there when he noticed that she was not following. He looked back, only to find her still in the same place she was in during their little "discussion". He smiled, not his normal arrogant smile but a nice, gentle one, and beckoned for her to follow. With a reluctant sigh, she followed after him to Fujiin's door.

"Fuu!" Raijin bellowed once he was inside. "I found 'em, ya know?"

"FINE! LEAVE, NOW. GIRL, STAY!" is what they heard from the bathroom.

"Oh, geez, I forgot, ya know? Fuu-sama was in the shower when I left, ya know? She's probably out, ya know? Let's, ya know, go, Seifer." With his speech completed, Raijin left the room in order to avoid the wrath of Fuu.

Seifer groaned at the idiocy that he had just listened to. "You'll have to get used to that," Seifer said, looking over his shoulder. "The idiotic babbling, I mean.'

"Well, I'm planning on being around you, so I think that I will." Seifer smirked at that.

"Hey, that reminds me of what we were doing before we were so rudely interrupted." In one swift movement, he closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth against hers. She gasped, and that was all the invitation that he needed. Seifer's tongue snaked in and contended in a brief battle with hers. She was screaming in her head, 'No! Stop it! Pull away! He'll just use you.' But she found that all she could do was stand there and kiss him back. Suddenly, they heard a female voice pierced the, ahem, "passion".

"SEIFER! OUT! HITTING ON, BAD! LEAVE, NOW!"

Seifer jerked away from Raven and looked over to the origin of the voice. It took him a few seconds to comprehend it but after that his trademark smirk graced his face once again.

"Ok, Fuu, I'll leave. Just make sure that she gets to the weapons room in half an hour."

Raven grunted in an unladylike fashion. "I know where I'm going. And I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Don't talk to her like she's my caretaker, cuz she's not. In fact, get out. You're polluting her room with your foulness." She then proceeded to shove him out of the room; slamming and locking the door once he was out.

Raven sighed and leaned against the door. She felt eyes on her and snapped her head up.  There Fujiin was in her normal ensemble. They stared at each other until Fujiin broke the silence.

"RAVEN?"

"Yeah."

"FUJIIN."

"Understood."

"HIM? JERK?"

"Think?"

"YEAH."

"Friends?"

Fujiin smiled. "AFFIRMATIVE"

********************************

At exactly 5 o'clock, Raven walked into the weapons room to find Squall, Terra, Zell, Seifer, and Luna already there. Before he could say anything, Raven walked over in two steps and broke Seifer's pretty scarred nose. (J) 

For a few seconds, no one said anything. Then, breaking the silence, Seifer said, "Ow," and collapsed. For about five more seconds no one else said anything. Then Terra opened up her mouth from where she had been flirting with Squall.

"See, Raven, that's why you never get a date." With the tension gone, everyone started laughing, save Squall, who just smiled slightly and Seifer, who's unconscious. 

"Ok, Squall," Zell said, bending next to Seifer, "Let's take him to the med center. Let the girls pick out their own weapons. Help me!"

                With Squall's help, Zell took Seifer's limp form to the med center. After the girls watched the three leave, Luna looked to Raven and said, "Ok, explain."

                Raven sighed. "You two first. I'll pick out my weapon." With that, Raven started sifting through the pile of weapons before them.

                Terra made a face. "I tried to get him to talk. I complimented, I flirted, I played the stupid girl." For a few seconds, she looked depressed, then brightened up. "At least he noticed that I gave him a compliment."

                Luna smiled shyly. "Zell kissed me on the cheek," she said, turning towards the pile.

                Terra hit Luna on the arm. "You suck!" she said. After Luna gave a mock bow, the two of them looked over at Raven. "So," Terra began, "What happened with Scarface over there?"

                Raven made a face. "He French-kissed me."

                "Wow! That's a lot better than anything I do. And you complain about me. So, did you enjoy?" Terra finally stopped as Raven snapped a long, black whip. "Do you know how to use that thing?"

                "I think so. I picked it up and… I don't know. I just know that I can use it." With that, Raven snapped the whip and brought a bow and a quiver of arrows down to Terra's feet.

                Terra picked the two items up and strung the bow. "Hey, cool. I've always wanted to use one of these." She sent an arrow whizzing over Luna's head, which hit with a thud next to something hanging on the wall. "Luna, can you get that?"

                Luna shrugged. "Fine. If I must." She walked to the wall and pulled out the arrow. Then she stopped and took off the weapon hanging on a nail next to where the arrow had hit. "Cool. Found my weapon." She slipped on the gloves and took a few practice punches. "Perfect. Now, about what happened between you and Seifer."

                Raven shrugged. "Nothing really. He was acting like a jerk, I refused to kiss him, and he shoved his slimy little tongue down my throat. That's it. So, anyone want to go train?"

                Luna smiled and said, "Obviously, you just want to change the subject, but I'll go. Terra?" they both turned to their friend who shook her head.

                "No, I don't think so. I'll just sit down and wait for them to get back." She then sat down. "Have fun," she called, but, upon looking up, she found that they were already gone.

                Seifer groaned and sat up. Looking around, it took him a while to realize that he was in the med center, on one of the standardized, rock-hard beds, with Zell and Squall standing around him. His first question, however stupid, was an understandable one.

                "What happened?" he asked, gingerly touching his sore nose.

                Squall sighed. "What do you remember?" he asked, with obvious distaste for Seifer's memory, or lack thereof.

                "Let's see," Seifer muttered, obviously trying to annoy Squall. Proof was shown that it worked when Squall hit Seifer upside the head. "Ow! Ok, ok, I'll talk. I remember waiting for Goth Girl while Chicken Wuss flirted with Moonie and The Brat tried to flirt with Puberty Boy. Then, Princess Cold Shoulder walks in and breaks my nose. Then I wake up here. Good enough for you, Commander?"

                "…Whatever." Squall turned to the door. "If you feel up to it, _Zell_ and I are going back to the training center and seeing how much trouble the girls have gotten into. You up for it, Blonde?"

                "Oh, you think that with your newly acquired hormones, you got humor? That was really lame. Let's go before you try anything else stupid." With that, they walked out on their way to the weapons room outside the training center.

                "Luna! Where are you?" 

                Raven was yelling at the top of her lungs. Luna, the track star she was, had disappeared once they entered the training center. _'Shit, can't she stay in one place for a little while? I'll spend all of my time looking for her and none-'_

                She was cut off in mid-thought by an alto scream. As a healer with slight empathy, she knew that she could not ignore it. Not that she wanted to, of course.

                What she found at the source of the scream was Luna, being mauled by a T-rexaur. Instantly, she froze. All of her training could not have prepared her for this shock. It was only Luna's scream that brought her out of her shock and into action.

                Muttering a spell that called for help, she started her attack on the monster. She was quick, and adrenalin made her even faster, but the T-rexaur was quicker. He might not be hurting Luna now, but maybe it was because she was beyond hurting.

                Raven was cursing under her breath. She was wearing down and needed help. Pretty soon, she would be dino chow_. 'Hello, spell, you can work now. It might be helpful.'_

                The monster looked at her with the laughing gleam of hunger in its eyes. She understood it, even if it didn't understand her. She flinched as she fell to one knee and the reptile's head came down to bite into her.

****************************

                Ok, that's the best for now. I'll get back to you for the rest!

Vamp Queen

Please R&R!


	5. The plot thickens...

                I am so sorry about taking so long! I got addicted to Final Fantasy 10, and I forgot to finish this. Ok, quick recap.

"But I found a spell that grants your heart's desire. And ours is to be in the Final Fantasy 8 world so let's try!"

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?!"

"You could come with us to Balamb Garden," Squall said, pointing behind us

Zell smiled and turned to Cid, "Then it's settled..."

Cid smiled, "No problem. Now let Mr. Dincht show you your room."

"Hello," Quistis greeted them, getting up from her seat and walking over to them. "You must be Terra Briar. I'm Quistis Trepe."

"Ok, Fuu, I'll leave. Just make sure that she gets to the weapons room in half an hour."

Raven shrugged.  "So, anyone want to go train?"

"If you feel up to it, _Zell_ and I are going back to the training center and seeing how much trouble the girls have gotten into. You up for it, Blonde?"

*************

The monster looked at her with the laughing gleam of hunger in its eyes. She understood it, even if it didn't understand her. She flinched as she fell to one knee and the reptile's head came down to bite into her.

                And then… nothing.  No pain, no crunching, no tearing of flesh._ 'Is this what it's like to be eaten?'_ Raven looked up to see Squall holding Terra away from Luna, Zell picking Luna up and Seifer wiping his gunblade off on the grass, leaving behind the blood from the T-rexaur. She struggled to get up and failed, only to be caught by Squall. He had been watching her from where he stood with Terra.

                "She's hurt," he said in his normal passive voice. "Seifer, come over here and carry her to the med center. Zell's already on his way. I'll try to calm Terra down a little."  He turned and ushered Terra out of the training center. She was crying so hard that she was shaking. 

                To his own surprise, he began to talk to her quietly and soothingly, trying to calm her down. She hiccupped once, then a second time, then looked at him for an explanation. "What happened?" she asked, in a voice barely above a whisper. "Why did she try to fight it? Why wasn't Raven there? Why wasn't _I_ there?" 

                Squall gave her a sympathetic look. "Terra, you had no idea. She… never mind." Squall waved his hand over Terra's face, muttered a sleep spell, and caught her before she hit the ground. He sighed. Now he had to carry her to the med center. He glanced down at his charge. _'I guess it's not that bad.'_ He smiled slightly and made his way down the hall.

**************************

                "Put me down! We're here!"

                "Nope. I was told to carry you here and I will."

                "You bastard! If you weren't holding me, your ass would be toast!"

                "Fine. Tomorrow at 2. Then you can prove it."

                There was a thud and Raven came storming in, with Seifer looking like a cat that got into the cream. They were the last set to come in. Terra and Squall were waiting for them to come in.

                Dr. Kadawaki came out, a worried look on her face. "She's unconscious and in really bad condition. I don't know what's gonna happen."

                Terra and Raven looked at each other. It was hard enough figuring out what how to get home. Now that Luna was hurt, how would they ever get home?

**************************

                The scrying pool went clear. The two shadows hovered over the pool.

                "Well, Aris, do you think that that was a good idea?" the shadow being addressed turned to the other.

                "Yes. There are two of us and three of them. They are weakened and these will be our vassals. Do you disagree, Adel?"

                The shadow glowed with excitement. "Of course not, sister. I agree with you. Now, let's watch." 

                The evil shadows continued their watch over the young sorceresses, who, ignorant as every teenager, do not see the upcoming danger.

Ok, I know it's short, but the next one will be longer. I promise! ^_^


	6. For Luna

Chapter 6 – For Luna

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Terra's P.O.V.

Disclaimer: Hey, it's the Crown Princess Zelda til Rednaxelos here. (Hey, Vamp, from now on, I am referred to by my pen name, okay? Zelda til Rednaxelos, Zelda, Zel-chan, whatever. You get the point.) I don't own any of these characters either. If I did, I would reconstruct Rinoa into my likeness (blue-eyed brunette, a bit moodier). Hell, I'd do that with Yuna and Dagger, too. That way it looks like I get all the guys following me around (heh heh). So anyways, the only character I own is Terra. Now that I've been introduced and I've disclaimed and all that crap, please read the fic and tell us what you think! Oui'voir!

****************************

Nothing could have prepared me for this. My friend Luna, bedridden and completely helpless?

I shuddered as I entered the infirmary the next day. I saw Luna there, lying on the bed, eyes shut.

"Is she doing alright, Doctor?" I asked Kadawaki.

"She's sleeping," she replied. "She's still doing pretty badly."

I looked through the window at Raven, who was watching from the hallway. _Should I try to wake her up?_ I asked her telepathically.

_No_, she replied. _Just try to enter her sub-consciousness or something. All you need to do is let her know you're here._

I nodded and sat in a chair beside Luna. Kadawaki told me, "I'll leave you alone with her. Take as long as you need."

As she left, I sent a message to Luna. _Luna, can you hear me? It's Terra. I just wanted to see if you were okay. I just hope you can somehow hear my message . . . can you?_

Luna's head moved back and forth a bit. She yawned as her eyes fluttered open. As soon as she could focus, she asked tiredly, " . . . Terra . . . Terra?"

I smiled and said, "Hi, Luna."

 "Hey."

"How are you? Are you alright?"

"Yeah . . . I guess so. Yeah, sure. I'm fine." She tried to sit up, but immediately fell back in pain. "Ow!"

"Be careful!" I said in concern. "Are you in pain?"

"Terra, I'm okay. Really. Just a little sore, that's all." She smiled up at me and asked, "So, what's been going on with you?"

"Oh, not much, only staying up all night long worried to death about you!" I scolded her. "You should know from past gaming experience that you don't go picking fights with T-Rexaurs unless you're fully prepared! Why didn't you look for something smaller, something less powerful?"

"Look, that thing sneaked up on me, okay? They do that all the time. I tried to run, but it was faster. It wasn't my fault, got it?"

I sighed in frustration and said, calmer, "Okay, sorry. I'm just really worried about you. Look at you – you can't even sit up!"

"Don't worry about it."

"But I _am_ worried, Luna. That thing got you pretty bad. You're paralyzed now, and . . ." Tears were quickly welling in my eyes. I did everything I could to hold them back.

"Please, Terra, don't do that," Luna said soothingly. "I'm a lot stronger than I appear. I know that, and Raven knows that. I need you to remember it, too."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Good." She smiled and tried to change the subject. "On a lighter note . . . I heard on my way to the training center that there's this big dance coming up. It's supposed to be really fun. You gonna go?"

I squinted at her. Dancing? At a time like this?

 "How can I possibly think of fun when my best friend is lying in a hospital?!" I cried. "There's no way!"

 "Oh, come on, Terra, you love dances! You never miss the ones at school. Remember when you were elected the Dancing Queen at that one huge dance a couple of months ago? While you were still going out with Vincent the Dancing King?"

I rolled my eyes. "Please, Luna, that's one relationship I'd like to forget."

 "Your ex-boyfriend isn't the point. The point is, you love grand balls where you get to dress up in beautiful dresses and dance the night away. You always have a lot of fun, especially at those really formal things, and I'm not going to have you miss what will possibly be the most massive soiree you've ever been to because of one little problem with me."

 "It's not a _little_ problem, Moon-girl. You're _paralyzed_!"

 "Even still. I want you to go. Get a gown, get a date, and start waltzing, for God's blessed sake!"

I sighed. It _did_ sound like a lot of fun. I wanted to go, but . . .

                "I don't want to go if I can't be there with _both_ you and Raven," I told her. "We're came here together, didn't we? I want us to stick together."

"Hey, it's not a big deal to me if I don't get to go. I've never really liked dresses much, anyway."

"But it's a big deal to _me_. If you don't go, I don't go."

"Please, Terra . . ." Luna begged, looking at me with sad eyes. "I really want you to go to the ball. You're the only one who's making such a big deal out of it. I swear to God that I'll be just fine. In fact, I'm going to be pretty upset if I find out you missed it all because of me." She took my hand and squeezed it lightly. "Do it for me . . . please, Terra?"

I sighed. If she really wanted me to . . .

 "Okay . . . I'll do it," I said.

Luna smiled. "Thank you."

"Though it'll be pretty hard to get Raven into a dress."

Luna laughed. "I'm sure you'll be able to talk her into it," she replied. "Tell her that if I weren't hurt so badly, I would team up with you and kick her into some sort of skirt, at least."

I nodded and got up. "Well, if I'm planning on going to the dance, I'm gonna have to get a date."

                "For you, it won't be a problem."

                "I'll see you later, Luna." I headed towards the door, but just as I got to it, I stopped and turned to face her once more. "Moon-girl . . . you sure you'll be okay?"

                "Of course I'm sure. I'm tougher than I look, remember? I can tie my own Adidas and everything."

                "Yeah, okay. Goodbye."

*********************************

     Later, as I was walking back to my dorm, a voice behind me called out, "Terra?"

     I turned to see Squall walking towards me. He looked a little bit uncomfortable as he came up beside me and asked, "So, uh . . . how's Luna?"

     I chuckled. "Finally you start paying attention to the people around you."

     ". . . Whatever –"

     "Whatever." I giggled slightly as Squall sighed.

     "You know, it gets really annoying when Quistis does that. Now you, too?"

     "Sorry. Anyway, Luna's doing okay. I just talked to her, in fact. She mentioned something about a big ball coming up."

     "You mean the one that's coming up this Friday?"

     "Yeah, that one."

     "Well, um . . . geez, are you some sort of mind reader? That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. See, it's coming up real fast, and . . . urm . . ."

     "And what?"

     "Well, see . . . I don't exactly have a date."

     _I didn't even know he went to those things_, I thought. I was about to say it out loud, but I could sense that he was about to ask me out, so I didn't want to ruin my chances.

     "Usually, you know, I'm just kind of a wallflower or whatever, but I think this time I need to show up with somebody, you know?"

     "Yeah. And?"

     "And I was wondering if maybe . . ."

     "Basically he was wondering if maybe you'd like to brighten up his side a little," a voice said. I looked behind Squall to see Seifer leaning against the wall, smirking at him.

     "What the hell are you doing here, Seifer?" Squall demanded.

     "Hey, you apparently don't have the guts to speak up, so I'm doing it for you," Seifer replied. "See, Puberty Boy here just recently got his hormones kicked into gear, and for the first time in his life, he's got a crush on a gorgeous babe. Something tells me, Terra, that he's really got the hots for you, know what I'm saying?"

     "Shut the fuck up, Seifer," Squall interjected angrily. "It's not like that. I just want to have a little fun, that's all –"

     "Fun? _Fun_?" Seifer roared with laughter. "Oh, shit, that's the _funniest_ thing I've ever heard in my cursed life! You, the Commander, want to have fun? You're actually willing to loosen up a bit? God, that is damn _funny_ –"

     "And you've got the nerve to call so-called 'Puberty Boy' immature, Seifer," I said.

     "Hey, sweetheart, I may be immature, but at least I have the courage to at least ask a girl out on a date," Seifer said, coming over to me and draping an arm around my shoulder. "If you want to go with a wuss and be mocked by the whole assembly, go right on ahead. But I think the smarter thing to do would be to go with somebody who's a bit more suave, somebody who can really show you a good time."

     "You mean Irvine?" I asked sarcastically.

     Seifer chuckled. "No, no, my canary . . . somebody like me." With that, he turned me around to face him and quickly inched closer to my face.

     Before he could get to me, however, Squall moved towards us and said, "Okay, that's enough –"

     I didn't need his help. I pushed Seifer away and said in disgust, "Not only are you an immature jackass, you're also fast and arrogant."

     "You won't see me that way after I take you to the ball."

     "You idiot, I'm not going with you. I'm taken already . . . by Squall."

     Squall jerked back in surprise. "You are?"

     "'You are?'" Seifer mocked with a laugh. "Okay, fine, hon. You do what you want. Let me know if you change your mind."

     I scoffed at him. "Sick bastard."

     He shrugged. "Well, in that case, guess I'd be better off going after the other canary. Where can I find Raven?"

     "Find her yourself."

     "Will do. See you at the ball, sweetcakes." With that, he walked off.

     After he'd left, Squall turned to me and asked, "So you're really going with me?"

     I smiled. "That's what I said, didn't I?"

Hi! Vamp Queen here. Please R&R!


	7. The Duel

Chapter 7 – The Duel

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Third-Person Perspective

Disclaimer: Hey, Super Smash Bros. Melee champion here. Once again, every character except Raven, Terra, Luna, and Aris belongs to Squaresoft. Terra belongs to me – YOU MAY NOT USE HER. Ask Vamp Queen if you want any of the others, but my Terra is off-limits. Now that that's cleared up, onward march!

     Raven staggered back to Fujiin's dorm, tired and stressed. Luna was screwed up, and she was deeply concerned, but not only for her friend's health. If memory served her, it would take the power of all three of them to get back home. Hopefully Luna would get better soon.

     As she was getting to the door, a voice behind her called out, "And how are you today, Birdie?"

     _Seifer, _Raven thought._ Great. Just what I needed. _She turned and saw him walking confidently towards her, a big grin on his face.

     "Where did you come from?" Raven asked, annoyed. "Don't ever call me Birdie. Ever."

     "Okay, Miss Crow, whatever you say –"

     "It's _Raven_."

     "Yeah, sure, fine," he said.

     "Don't talk to me right now. I'm still pissed off at you for forcing that kiss on me like that."

     "Just being friendly."

     "Well, apparently your definition of 'friendly' is different from mine. Don't do it again."

     "And if I do?" Seifer challenged her, smirking from ear to ear.

     "If you keep hitting on me like that, I'll make _you_ sore."

     "You were kissing me back, Raven. I assumed you didn't mind."

     "What would you do if a sick bastard jammed his tongue down your throat?"

     "Hey, I'd think you'd be pretty grateful to me right now, considering the fact that only yesterday I _saved your life_."

     "I would be, if you wouldn't push me away with your 'friendliness'."

     "You should be."

     "Well, right now I don't really feel like being grateful," Raven spat at him. "You're supposed to save somebody's life because you want to, not because you're expecting a favor in return, Seifer."

     "Who says I'm expecting a favor?" Seifer asked playfully.

     "Come on, you make it so very _obvious_," Raven said, rolling her eyes. "It's so easy to tell with you."

     "Well . . . a little favor _would_ be very nice of you," Seifer answered with a suggestive tone in his voice. "I'm about to go back to my apartment – care to join me?"

     "Don't even go there. There is no way in hell I'm ever going to go to bed with you."

     "We'll see about that," Seifer replied. With that, he swiftly scooped Raven up off the ground and tried to make off with her. He only went a few steps, however, when Raven reached for her whip and cracked it above his head. Alarmed, Seifer dropped her, and Raven quickly scrambled to her feet while Seifer backed up to catch his breath. Even after all that, he smiled.

     "Ah, so you want to play rough, do you? Okay, sure. I'll let you go . . . if you win."

     "If I win what?"

     "A duel. A friendly one, of course. Me against you, gunblade against whip. You seem strong enough – a worthy opponent. You win, I'll let you walk away. If I win . . . well, you know what happens then. You're bound to me for the night. Agreed?"

     Raven sighed. This guy was really pushing it . . . "There's no way I'll get out of this, is there?" she asked. "Fine. I'll fight. But none of your magic shit, got it? Neither one of us uses any spells."

     "Then we're set." Seifer drew out his gunblade and said with a sly grin, "Let the duel commence."

         He came rushing at her, swinging the blade at her. Raven barely stepped away in time – he was so fast. Nevertheless, Raven decided to taunt him. "Is that it? That's the best you can do? Come on, show me a real fight!"

     "As you wish, Milady." He came running back at her, and before Raven could sidestep again, he had landed her a small cut on her leg. She clutched it for a moment; with renewed anger and zeal, she then cracked the whip and coiled it around his leg. She pulled on the whip and Seifer's leg, sending him crashing to the floor. He sat up and rubbed his head while Raven taunted him some more.

     "I thought you could do better than that! What's the deal?"

     "I _can_ do better. I'm not warmed up yet."

     "Ha! Lame excuse."

     "Oh, I'll show you lame –" and with one deft movement he jumped into the air, kicked Raven in the stomach, sending her flying to the ground, and came down beside her, planting his gunblade within inches of her head. "That, Raven, was lame – on your part." He grinned at her and asked, "Now answer me this: from that view down there, don't I look just devastatingly handsome to you?"

     Raven looked up at him, her eyes filled with fire. "Egotistical _asshole_!" she shouted, immediately kicking him in the shin. While he was momentarily disabled, she jumped to her feet and got a good hold of her whip again; she cracked it in the air above him, and then wrapped it around his arm. She quickly asked the Most Sovereign for her strength, and with incredible force was able to fling Seifer to the other side of the room.

     Feeling proud of herself, she goaded him some more. "Who's got the upper hand now, Scarface?"

     She continued to do so as long as she had the advantage: "And you call yourself a fighter?"

     "No wonder you never made SeeD!"

     "Guess what? My grandmother can run faster than you can! Guess what else? She's dead!"

     This went on for a good while, with Raven still in the lead, until finally, the tables were turned. Frustrated, Seifer wiped the sweat off his brow. He summoned all the vigor he had in him and rushed at her once more, and this time, he knocked the flat of the blade hard against her head. He hit her so hard that she immediately fell to her knees.

     The room began to spin around Raven as she got more light-headed. The lights grew dimmer, her head got number, and soon she was sprawled out on the floor. The last thing she saw was Seifer standing over her triumphantly . . . and then everything dissolved into darkness.

*********************************

     A few minutes later, Raven awoke on a soft leather couch, still faint and dazed from the duel. She sat up, putting a hand to her head. A voice then lifted her out of her disorientation – "Hey, hold still. I'm not finished healing you yet."

     Raven looked around the strange room to see Seifer kneeling beside the couch, sweeping a hand over her cuts and bruises. "Gotta love Curaga," he mused to himself.

     "Whoa, hold up," Raven said. "Where did you take me?"

     "It didn't take you too long to notice – a good sign, they say. Raven, welcome to my apartment."

     "_What_?!" Raven jumped off the couch and looked around the commodious dwelling. Her blood was beginning to boil. _What in hell does this guy think he's doing?_

"Oh, no. No. I'm not doing this, Seifer. I won't!"

     "Hey, a deal's a deal, Birdie. You agreed that if I knocked you out first, you got the privilege of staying here for the night –"

     "On the _couch_, maybe!"

     "Then I'll have to join you. Come on now, Raven, I will not allow you to be a sore loser."

     "You son of a bitch! Who do you think you are, forcing me into a situation I clearly do not want to be in? I should report you to Cid. Surely this behavior is not tolerated."

     Seifer scoffed. "Cid knows I'm not a virgin. He knows perfectly well I've done this before. He hasn't done squat about it."

     "And you're not going to do squat to me."

     "Well, you need to repay me somehow. Alright, I'll give you another option. There's this big dance coming up to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Balamb Garden –"

     "Yeah, yeah, I know. I heard. And you want me to go with you, right?"

     "Yeah. I need a date."

     "Well, you can stuff that notion into a bottle and throw it into the sea, because I'd sooner burn myself at the stake than date you." _Not that it hasn't been tried…_ she thought.

     "It's either an evening with me or evening, night, and morning with me. Your choice."

     Raven sighed in frustration. "Is this how you get all your dates?"

     "No, not at all. Most girls faint from happiness when I ask them out."

     "Okay, _fine_, I'll go to the stupid ball with you. I wasn't even planning to go at all, but it's a lot better than spending the whole time here instead."

     "Good. Alright, I'll let you leave now. Don't forget – tomorrow, you're mine for the whole time."

     Raven turned abruptly and headed out the door. "Humph. I'd much rather be with Luna. She needs me more than you do." With that, she entered the hallway and slammed the door behind her.

     She ran off down the hallway to Fujiin's dorm and quickly went in. Seeing that Fujiin wasn't there yet, she decided to let out her anguish right there.

     "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

More R&R please.


	8. A Grand Celebartion

Chapter 8 – A Grand Celebration

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Terra's P.O.V.

Disclaimer: Yes, you're probably really tired of this by now, but I'm required to say it: I own Terra and Terra alone. I wish I owned everybody else, but I don't, so don't try to sue me.

P.S. Vamp Queen here. Sorry, Zelly, I'm butting in here. Raven, Luna, Terra and Aris are ours. Leave them alone. Do what you want to everyone else. Torture Seifer if the need arises. Ok, I'm done

**********************

     On Friday, I paid a visit to Fujiin's dorm at Raven's summoning. I knew that something had happened the day before that upset her immensely, but I told her nothing of it.

     I knocked on the door lightly. Raven called out from behind the door: "Who is it?"

     "Mary Tudor. Come on, Raven, get real. I know you could sense me through the door."

     The door swung open, and a fiery-eyed Raven shot me a look that could make a storm back down.

     "Announce us to the rest of the world while you're at it, why don't you!" she hissed. "Can't you be more careful? You'll get us kicked out of here if anyone finds out about our – positions – and you know how the people at Garden feel about people like us."

     "_Somebody_ got up on the wrong side of the couch this morning."

     "Just come inside." When the door shut behind us, Raven added, "I sure would have gotten up on the wrong side of the couch this morning if there hadn't been a ball coming up. Hell, I would have gotten up on the wrong couch."

     I tilted my head in puzzlement. "Huh?"

     "Seifer gave me a proposition yesterday."

     My eyes widened as I plopped down on Fujiin's couch. "He didn't."

     "I wish I could agree with you. But yeah, he said I owed him a 'favor' for saving my life, and he thought me sleeping with him would more than pay for it. I refused, so he challenged me to a duel. If he won, I was stuck with him for the whole night."

     "No way. So what happened?"

     "I was actually doing pretty well, but then the bastard hit me upside the head with his gunblade and gave me a near concussion, thus causing me to lose. So he gave me two options: I slept with him, or he took me to the anniversary ball tonight as his date."

     "And you chose the date," I finished, beaming with pride for her. "I'm proud of you, Bird-girl. You actually scored a date!"

     "_I'm_ not too happy about it!" Raven cried. "That animal is going to have me nearly cuffed to his wrist all evening long. I'm going to have to dance and pretend I'm having a good time. I never wanted to go in the first place!"

     "Luna wanted you to go. She made me promise to go without her."

     "I honestly don't care about going to the dance in itself – I just don't want to go with _him_!"

     "Okay, okay, you can calm down," I told her. "Sit down. Don't pace so much – just sit here and don't worry so much, alright?"

     Raven sank beside me and held her head in her hands. "I need your help, Terra. You always know how to deal with this sort of stuff – what am I supposed to do? I have to get out of this!"

     "Sorry I have to be the one to break it to you, but in this situation, it's really not wise to try to get away from Seifer."

     "But . . . but what the hell am I supposed to do, then?"

     "Just go along with it."

     "But he's _Seifer Almasy_, Terra! Seriously, would _you_ want to go out on a date with that man?"

     "Hey, it's only for a couple of hours. You can do it."

     "Are you sure that's the _only_ advice you can give me?"

     "Afraid so."

     Raven sighed. "Okay, then."

     "Don't worry, I'll distract you over there, okay?" I offered.

     "Yeah, alright."

     "Okay. So, let's switch to another topic. What do you plan on wearing to the ball?"

     Raven shrugged. "I haven't thought about it at all. I have no clue."

     "Haven't you ever been to some sort of formal occasion before where you had to dress up?"

     "No. The most formal thing I've ever attended is mass at the cathedral, and I always wear jeans and a T-shirt over there."

     I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

     "Yeah."

     "We need to get to work then. I've got an idea for you that I think will be just perfect –"

     "If you're thinking about putting me into a dress, I'm telling you right now that there's no way I'll ever do it. The farthest I'll go is some dressy pants, but that's it."

     "You're a female, Raven. Dress like one for once, will you?"

     "Nope."

     "Can't you at least wear a skirt?" I pleaded. "All the other girls will be wearing pretty gowns."

     "Not doing it."

     "Please?"

     "No."

     "But even Fujiin will be wearing a spaghetti strap!"

     "No."

     "Do it for Luna. She would kick you into a dress if she were here."

     "No."

     "She's going to get pretty upset . . ."

     "No."

     "I'm getting upset . . ."

     "No."

     I was losing my temper. The girl was really pushing the envelope.

     "_Raven_ . . ."

     "No."

     That was it. I'd had it.

     "_Raven Fauna Keisha Moss, if you don't at least put on a skirt, I will cancel the date myself and force you to sleep with Seifer!_" I shouted at her."_You know I can do it, and I will!_"

     "Fine, Goddessdamn it!" Raven yelled back. "Do what you want. Just make sure I get out of this alive!"

     My anger cooled. "That's much better," I said calmly, smiling. "The Most Sovereign wills it."

     "Whatever. Just get to work."

*****************************

     "I'm not liking this. I am not liking this!"

     "It's pretty, Raven. Everybody will love it."

     "Everybody except me."

     "Quit being such a stiff. Hold still . . ." And with one last wave of my hand, I made the final adjustment to the dress I had made for Raven. "There. A masterpiece. My rendition of the little black dress."

     It was quite lovely, in my opinion. The dress went down to her knees, with mid-thigh slits on both side for easy movement, and had one strap. I had fixed her hair into a bun so it wouldn't fly all over the place, given her wine-colored lipstick, and low heels. She finally looked just like the elegant lady I'd always wished she would turn into.

     I myself was dressed in a burgundy Renaissance-style gown trimmed with gold, with white petticoats and gloves underneath my long chiffon split bell sleeves. The sleeves were placed gracefully off my shoulders, and the skirt of the dress was quite full.

     I looked in the mirror, touching up my makeup a bit and fastening my adjustable Celtic necklace into a choker. "I think we're ready to go," I said to Raven. "Just let me look you over one more time . . . oh, shoot."

     "What now?" Raven asked tiredly.

     "The slits – they need to be higher," I said, and with a movement of my hand I made the slits on either side of her dress two inches higher.

     Raven squinted at them for a moment and said, "Geez, Terra, you keep this up and _all_ the guys will be following me around, not just Seifer!"

     "That's the point."

     "But Almasy's bad enough!"

     "Just go with it."

     "Fine," Raven replied reluctantly. "Let's just get this over with."

     As we headed down the hallway to the ballroom, I said, "You've been rather grumpy lately, my friend."

     "I think you would be, too, if you were in my situation."

     I simply smiled and answered, "Just try not to dwell on it. We're supposed to be having fun. So have fun."

     "Yeah, easy for you to say," Raven grumbled. 

     "Alright, I'll be quiet now. Hey, look, we forgot to go find our dates. I'm supposed to wait outside the door for Squall. You go find Seifer. And while you're gone, don't you go making any changes to your dress. You know what happens if you do."

     "Yeah, okay. I'll see you in a bit."

     As she walked off, I couldn't help but grin to myself. _That girl is going to be the belle of the ball . . . well, next to me, of course. No one out-belles Terra Briar._

     "Hey, uh, Terra?"

     I looked up, and there was Squall, looking handsome as ever in a tuxedo.

     I smiled warmly at him. "Hey. You're looking great – as usual."

     Squall shifted his feet anxiously and muttered, "Thanks," as I caught a pinkish flush creep upon his face. It quickly left him as he responded, "You, too."

     I grabbed his hand, eager to get inside, and pulled him through the grand double doors. "Come on, I want to start dancing! I'm excited about this – and you?"

     "Uh, yeah, if . . . if you're here . . ."

     "Why, thank you, Commander. Now, come on, let's go!"

     I turned around to take in the sight of the imposing ballroom . . . and was amazed at its majesty.

     One could almost see herself in the marble dancing floor, which reflected the light of the huge crystal chandeliers suspended from the glass ceiling. Festive ivy branches and roses of all colors were twisted together and entwined around the railings on the stairway and balconies on either side. A royal blue carpet lead down the stairs to the dancing floor. Refreshment tables were on either side. A small orchestra played on the left side of the large stage in the back. It was all so regal, so very magnificent.

     "Oh . . . it's so beautiful," I wondered aloud. "I . . . I've never seen anything like it."

     "Yeah, it sure is nice," a Southerner's voice called out, "but not nearly as nice as you, Miss Briar."

     I looked around and found Irvine standing beside me, he in a tuxedo as well, but still wearing his cowboy hat.

     I laughed. "You never do take off that hat, do you?"

     "This is a _special_ hat. It's got white trim, see?" He smiled and bent down on one knee, taking my hand into his. "But I, of course, am nothing in appearance compared to your radiant beauty, Terra Briar, rose of Balamb." Kissing my hand lightly, he added, "You look lovely tonight. Of course, you just keep getting prettier each time I see you –"

     "I never knew you were a poet, Irvine," someone said. Seifer approached us, with Raven following reluctantly behind.

     "Don't even start with that, Seifer," I warned.

     "Sure thing, 'rose of Balamb'. Just let me give you a word of advice: don't spend too much time with him, lest you make your date jealous. After all, you're supposed to be with him."

     "Thanks, but I don't think I'll be needing any help from you," I replied curtly as I returned to Squall's side. "Come on, Commander, let's go get something to eat."

     "Ooh, she even has a pet name for him," Seifer teased. "I do think that before long –"

     "Shut up," Squall snapped at him as we walked down the stairs to the refreshments.

     We saw Zell standing by the hot dogs, wolfing them down one by one. As we approached him, he caught sight of us and waved. "Hey, guys, check out these hot dogs! They're even better than usual!"

     I waved back and responded, "Nah, I don't think so yet. They cause bad breath. I'll just have some punch." As I poured myself a glass, I asked Squall, "So, do they have a lot of grand soirees here?"

     "No. The last one I went to was the celebration of Ultimecia's defeat."

     "Oh, yeah, her. Ultimecia. Scary-looking creature, I hear."

     "Uh . . . yeah. But . . . well, I'd really prefer we didn't talk about it . . ."

     "How come?" Zell asked him.

     Squall shot him a hard look. "You know why."

     "What? Come on, you can . . . oh. Oh! Yeah, um, that's right."

     I sighed and rolled my eyes with a laugh. "Fine, just leave me out like that. You two are so strange."

     "Oh, hey, look!" Zell said. He pointed to the stage. "Cid's about to speak. Pay attention!"

     The crowd clapped as Cid stepped up to the podium. He cleared his throat, adjusted his tie, and began, "I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. Today marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of Balamb Garden." A cheer went up from the crowd; Cid smiled and let the applause die down before continuing. "Ten years ago, this was a big facility with a small staff and few students. But thanks to you, Garden's pupils, and SeeD, our special forces, we have flourished into the second largest military academy in the world!" More cheers.

     "Second largest," I whispered to myself. "Yeesh."

     "One of my greatest joys as headmaster is watching young seedlings mature into blossoms. To see these students develop into intelligent, strong, courageous soldiers gives me great pride. Yes, there are times when I feel so tired and frustrated that I want to just quit this whole operation. Some of you have tried my patience and pushed me over the edge enough times that I could scream at you until your eardrums break. But I cannot give up on you. To let all of you down would be my greatest shame. The hope of a better world, a better future for the citizens of the world is what keeps me going – and I owe it all to you, the students of Balamb Garden. Thank you all."

     The crowd cheered loudly as Cid backed away. When he was out of sight, I turned to Squall and asked him, "Hey, this is a nice song. Dance with me?"

     The look on his face told me he'd rather not. "Um . . . well, the thing is, I . . . I really would rather wait a bit."

     "Why? What's wrong?"

     "He doesn't really like this song," Zell piped up. "It's the first song he danced to with his ex-girlfriend, and –" Another look from Squall, and Zell backed off. "Oh . . . oops."

     "Oh, I see. That's okay." _So the other sorceress has left him_, I thought.

     I decided to check up on Raven, so I told him, "Well, in that case, I'm going to hang out with Raven for a bit. I'll see you in a few minutes." With that, I headed across the room to Raven, who was leaning against the wall.

     "Hey there," I greeted her. "Seifer hasn't bothered you yet?"

     "I haven't spoken to him," Raven replied. "And if I can help it, I don't plan to. And you? How are you doing with Puberty Boy?"

     "You know, you and Seifer _would_ make a good couple – you even use the same insults!"

     "Sorry. So you were saying?"

     "He refuses to dance to this song. Zell says it's because it's the first song he danced to with his ex."

     "Oh. This is _Waltz for the Moon_?"

     "Don't you recognize it?"

     "Oh, Goddess, I wish I didn't. It's so annoying – it plays over and over and over again . . ."

     I sighed and shook my head. "Must you always be so negative?" I then saw Seifer approaching out of the corner of my eye. "Oh, speaking of negative . . . your date's coming."

     "May he rot in hell."

     "You'd better not say anything like that to him. I'll toast your ass if you do, understand?"

     Raven sighed. "Yeah, whatever the hell it'll take to satisfy you."

     "Good." With that, I walked back to the refreshment table. I would watch her from there and make sure she didn't mess up.

     With my sorceress abilities I tuned out the rest of the chatter around me and focused on Raven and Seifer, so I could hear their conversation. I'd always loved that skill, the ability to listen in on a conversation all the way across the room.

     "Hey, Robin –"

     "Seifer, for the last fucking time, it's _Raven_."

     "Yeah, I know. Anyway – how's the party so far? You having a good time?"

     "I guess so."

     "Great. You up for a dance or two?"

     Raven scoffed. "With you? I think –"

     Oh, no, she didn't. She was not going to get away with that.

     I immediately sent a short, minor shock to her head, like a second-long migraine. She lifted a hand to her head and exclaimed, "Ow!" She glared in my direction, while I quickly turned away, pretending that I had nothing to do with it. She sighed, shook her head and said, "Urm, I think I will."

     Seifer took her by the wrist and led her to the dancing floor. I smiled and decided to let her handle it.

     I went to the back to rest a bit. I leaned against the wall and thought, mostly about Squall.

     What was it going to take for me to get him to open up? Most men I'd come across had by now been at least conversing with me on a daily basis. What was up with him?

     _Perhaps it's his ex that's still bothering him_, I thought. We all knew who that was . . .

     I decided to give him a couple of weeks. Surely he wasn't _that_ broken-hearted still.

     "Hey, uh, Terra?"

     It was Squall. _Well, maybe he _has_ opened up, at least partway_.

     "Hi."

     "I'm getting bored. How about you?"

     "Yeah, kind of."

     "Um . . . well, then . . . you wanna dance?" He extended his hand to me.

     I smiled. "Sure." I took his hand, and he walked me to the dancing floor.

     "Hey, look, I'm sorry if I seemed a bit . . . cold," Squall said as we walked. "I'm still not too good at the whole dating thing yet." He chuckled a bit. "I guess the name 'Puberty Boy' is appropriate, if annoying."

     "It's okay," I replied. "You're just shy. You really need to open up – and it looks like you could really use some help."

     The orchestra started up another perky waltz. I placed one of Squall's hands on my waist and held the other, while placing my other hand on Squall's shoulder. "You know how to waltz?"

     "I'm kinda rusty."

     "I'll have to re-teach you, then. Alright, do you know how to do the basic box step?"

     Before long, we were spinning and turning and twirling around the dance floor. I nearly laughed out loud; I was having so much fun.

     "You dance wonderfully!" I complimented him.

     "Thanks."

     Suddenly he stopped. 

     A new song had come up, and he looked toward the orchestra nervously.

     I looked at him curiously. "Squall? Are you okay?"

     He turned back to me. "Yeah . . . I'm fine." He looked to a chair in a nearby corner and continued, "You wouldn't mind if I took a break, would you?"

     "Um . . . no, not if you need one," I responded, disappointed.

     "Thank you. I'll see you later, okay?"

     With that, he went off, a bit hurriedly.

     "What's wrong?" I called after him, but he wouldn't respond.

     I bit my lip. What was up with him? Why didn't he want to be around me?

     "Hey, babe, sorry about that," a voice said from behind. Irvine walked up to me and told me, "Squall's kinda goin' through a hard time right now. He's got some issues he still has to work out, so right now he's not gonna be the best date."

     "Did I do something wrong to set him off?" I asked.

     "Oh, no, not at all. You're a great gal; he just needs time." He smiled. "In the meantime – you wanna finish up the dance with me?"

     I sighed. "Yeah, okay."

     He put an arm around my shoulders and led me back to the dance floor. We began dancing, and he asked, "So, besides that, are you having a good time?"

     "Yeah, I'm loving this. I've never been to anything this big."

     "Well, I'm surprised you haven't danced with more people. A lot of guys have been telling me they'd sure like to tango a bit with you, you know?"

     I laughed. "Really?"

     "Yeah. Raijin said you really looked like you'd be a hot partner – and he would have asked you to salsa with him, too, but Fujiin kicked him in the shin. She's his date tonight. He couldn't get anybody else."

     "Oh?"

     "Yep. Would you go out with him if he asked you?"

     I shook my head. "Probably not."

     "Well, in that case, would you go out with _me_ if I asked you to?"

     I smiled. "I'd definitely think about it."

     After we'd danced for a few songs, I broke away from Irvine and said, "I have to go check up on Raven."

     "Okay, I'll wait for you, darlin'."

     I grinned at him and walked off toward Raven. She was sulking across the room when I greeted her.

     "Hey, you don't look so good," I said.

     "Seifer is such a terrible date," Raven fumed. "He stepped on my toe twice, and he kept trying to convince me that an evening in bed is much nicer than an evening in a ballroom. Then the jerk decided to flirt with a ton of other girls, ignoring me completely. I say good riddance." She glared at me. "Oh, and by the way, I did _not_ appreciate that head jolt you gave me. You were eavesdropping, weren't you?"

     "Just had to make sure you didn't blow this whole date to pieces."

     "I could care less if Shitfer never wanted to speak to me again. It would rid me of a lot of trouble."

     "Just quit complaining. Your attitude isn't helping. Maybe he wouldn't act that way if you would be a bit nicer to him."

     "And let him take advantage of me?"

     "I'll talk to him, okay? Just quit being so difficult and _perhaps_ things will get better. Has that thought ever crossed your mind? Squall isn't being the best partner either, but do you see me grumbling?"

     "He's still a rotten other half."

     "Yeah, well, you're a pretty lousy date, too." I walked off, sick and tired of her complaining.

     Just then . . .

     I felt something . . . hovering over the place. Something like a strange presence, almost. I looked around, and out of the corner of my eye, I could almost see something passing by the large window . . .

     I whirled my head around to follow the thing, whatever it was, and saw it vanish above us.

     Strange . . . I knew this feeling. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, yet still . . . I knew something was there. It was a force unlike anything I'd ever before encountered, and yet . . . familiar at the same time.

     "Yo, Terra!" Zell sprinted up and said, "The party's almost over."

     "Is it really?" I asked as I snapped out of my last train of thought.

     "Yeah. It's been three hours."

     "_Already_?"

     "Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?"

     "It's almost midnight," Raven added from behind. "I want to get out of here. Now."

     "Fine, we'll leave, if it'll make you happy," I said to her, upset. "Just let me say goodbye to Squall and Irvine."

     I went up to Irvine and Squall, who were talking nearby. "Hey, guys, thanks a lot for this. I had a great time."

     Irvine noticed me and responded, "No problem, sugar. We had an excellent time as well, didn't we, Squall?"

     "Um . . . yeah," Squall muttered.

     "Just let me know if you want to get together again sometime," Irvine added with a wink.

     I smiled. "Alright. I will." I turned to leave and waved. "See you tomorrow, huh?"

     "Yeah. Bye."

     I decided that I didn't want to walk with Raven and listen to her sulk the entire time, so I caught up with Quistis and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

     "Yes," she answered. "Let's go." With that, we went on our way.

     I was troubled by that . . . _being_ I'd felt. What was it? If it was any sort of being, why was it here? Was it really anything at all? Or just my imagination?

What did you think? It's _reeeeaally_ long, I know. Review the fic and tell us what you think, what you think should happen in the upcoming chapters, and the like. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Tell us in the review, or email us! We'd love to hear from you. Come on, we don't bite . . . at least, not usually . . .


	9. Lost Hope

Chapter 9- lost hope

Vamp Queen

Third Person P.O.V.

Disclaimer… oh, yeah. I promised Fredrick that he could do this one… Or was it Dante'? I get the voices in my head mixed up… Anyways… I own nothing. I have no money. Do not sue me.

In this chapter, the hope for return disappears. Life will get weird and there's some strange plot twists.  Alright, I'm done. Now I'll continue.

*********************************

                _When will he get a hint? _Raven thought as Seifer walked me back to Fujiin's room. _Date's over, I'm done. Leave me alone. I need to talk to Terra and Luna about that thing… I felt it before I heard Luna scream too…_

                She was so deep into thought that she did not notice walking into Fujiin's room. She did not notice walking into the alcove that was her room. She even did not notice Seifer kissing her neck and leading her to the bed. The thing that she did notice, however, was Seifer unzipping her dress. Raven jerked away and used her brothers' favorite move against each other- a knee in the groin, followed by a hard right hook. She zipped up her dress and glared down at Seifer. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled at him. Seifer looked up from the ground and was surprised to see Raven's eyes filled with fear.

                "What the fuck-" he started to say as he got up. He cut off when he was shoved out. 

                "Get out!" Raven yelled. He started to protest but was cut off yet again. "Get out, now! I never want to see you gain! Out!" with her screams ringing in his ears, Seifer fled to the safety of his own room.

*****************************

                Adel glanced at Aris. "Now, sister? The eternal sleep?"

                The second ghost nodded. "Yes," Aris hissed. "Yes, now is the time." The two figures began to float around the scrying pool, chanting in an eerie language forgotten by all except those of true sorceress blood.

***************************

                Terra looked down at Luna, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed in the med center. Terra smiled. Luna had the same smile on her face that she always had with a good dream. Suddenly, a chill ran down Terra's back. There it was again- that presence that she felt in the ballroom. But… it was stronger. Luna frowned in her sleep and started tossing and turning, which escalated into thrashing. Terra tried to subdue Luna but she felt a swift blow to her head, knocking her back into her chair and rendering her unconscious. 

****************************

                Looking up from her tear-stained pillow, Raven frowned. Again, there was that presence. This time, though… Her eyes widened and she got up and started running to the med center, the origin of the voices. It was talking to another. Raven as the healer of the group, with empathy, and could talk to animals. She could hear what the beings were saying. It was the old language of mages, enchantresses, and wiccans. And what they were saying… Raven slowed and her eyes glazed over. She collapsed in the hallway as she listened to these strange, but familiar voices.

                "Adel, can you feel it? They sense us. They are powerful indeed, and, with this one gone, they will still have that power. Oh, let's put the Waster's Spell on this one. Please?"

_                There came a throaty laugh that sent chills down Raven's mental spine. "If that will please you, Sister Aris. If it will please you. And have fun. The little healer is watching."_

_                To Raven's horror, she watched as two phantom-like figures cast one of the oldest spells that she knew- Lethios Wastrious- the Waster's Spell. It was a spell that wasted the person or thing away until it completely away. Only the performer could take it off. And if these sorceresses could detect her now, she knew that Luna would be dead in at least a week. She cried silent tears and screamed in her soul as the shadows cackled, then vanished. Then the blessed darkness came and claimed her._

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Please R&R 

Every 10th review will get their very own fic when they submit their choice of subject.


	10. The Past Reveiled

Chapter 10- The Past Reveled

Third person perspective

Vamp Queen

Ok, I promise that this one won't be very short. I just don't have that much time to work. 8th graders have very busy schedules, plus I'm on a couple of committees… alright, enough rambling. I own only Raven, Terra, Luna, and Aris. I have about 5 dollars, if that. 

***************

Raven groaned. She had a pounding headache and a strange feeling of dread. She looked around. She was back in the small room she shared with Fujiin. For some strange reason, the first thing that she thought was, _Seifer has a bigger room than this_. Then, to her astonishment, she witnessed a miracle. 

Fujiin looked at her and said, "Oh, good, you're awake. How do you feel?" Fujiin smiled slightly at the fact that Raven could only gap at her. "What? You thought that I couldn't talk properly? Or in a normal voice? Only people that I like hear me like this."

Raven laughed slightly. "So who do you talk like this to? Seifer, Raijin, and me? All for different reasons, of course." Raven smiled as Fujiin blushed. "Yeah, I'm ok. I just…" Raven stopped and all of what had happened earlier flooded back into her memory. She jumped up and ran from the room, ignoring Fujiin's frantic yells to come back and lay back down. 

Raven sprinted to the med center and ran into the room where Luna would now be a permanent resident- at least until she died. She felt the spell nearly blind her once she entered the room. Terra was just waking up and Raven decided that it would be easier and safer to tell her what happened to their friend and partner somewhere else. The Goth picked up her willowy friend and slung her over her shoulder, glaring at the carpet ahead of her in a desperate attempt to keep the tears from falling.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

"Lethios Wastrious? No way! Something like that is high magic. It's got to be a high level or one of us. Maybe two."

"I know. It was the things we felt at the ball. I felt it before Luna screamed and when I heard the voices. They called each other Aris and … Adel."

Terra gasped. "_The_ Adel?"

"Probably. They were strong enough to tell that I was listening. All we can do is sit back and watch her die."

They sat in silence for a while. Then, in an attempt to get their minds off this tragedy, Terra asked Raven, "So, was it you who I saw playing rugby with Irvine and Squall's P.E. class? If you wanted one, you just had to ask."

Raven smiled weakly, trying not to flinch. "No, Terra, they're all yours. I just wanted to play."

"Oh, so you didn't want any action?" At Raven's confused look, Terra laughed and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I know what you and Zack did on prom night. Heck, everyone knows. Sure, I was a sophomore, but so was his brother. The two of you, alone, in a hotel room… Everyone can figure that out. Wait, where are you going?" Terra watched as Raven walked out.

Raven stuck her head back in to give Terra an explanation: "I'm gonna go fuck Seifer." _'Sarcasm at its finest.' ___

With that, Raven ran to her room and slammed the door shut behind her. She threw herself onto her bed, not noticing Fujiin as she silently left. Tears ran down her cheeks to soak her pillow. She cried for about 10 minutes when, out of nowhere, the door burst open and Seifer sauntered into the room, stopping when he reached Raven's bed. She looked up at him, not caring that the tears were still streaming down her face. And for that matter, neither did he. He sat down on the bed and petted her hair for a while, letting her get control of her emotions. Once the tears had subsided, he pulled Raven's limp body into his arms and tilted her face up to look at him. "First thing's first," he said with a hint of kindness in his voice. "I'll tell no one about this if you don't mention it either. I'm never going to act this way again, and I doubt I'll be the one to see you cry next. Fuu's the only one who knows because she came and got me. You scared her and she had no idea how to take care of it herself. I owed her a favor and this was it. Now," he finished, his voice a little softer. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

Raven glared at him. "First tell me why you kept coming after me, trying to sleep with me. How would you have known that I didn't want to be a virgin til my wedding day?"

He sighed. She was beginning to annoy him and his patience was already thin. "First of all, it was obvious that you like me, and," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black crystal. Raven could tell by looking at it that it was heavily magicked. "This crystal was given to me by Rinoa. If you knew about the sorceress battle, then you know about her." Raven nodded and he continued. "While talking to someone, if I want to find out if they're a virgin or not, I hold onto it and think about that person. If the person is a virgin, it turns white. If not," he looked at her and the crystal turned red. "It turns red. Now, your turn."

Raven sat up on her own, for once feeling safe with his arm around her. "You know, the last three people to see me cry were my dad when I was 9, my eldest brother when I was 13 and this one guy, Zack. That was two years ago."

Seifer frowned. "What happened?"

A tear slipped down Raven's cheek. "He was my boyfriend," she whispered. "It was the prom night. We went together and, for once, I was the belle of the ball, not Terra. She was there and everyone looked at me, not her. For once, I was the beautiful Raven, not 'There's what's-her-face, the one who could beat up John.' Zack told me that night that he loved me. 

"We went on a drive afterwards. We were supposed to cruise then go to our homes. He told me that he had a surprise for me. I tried to get him to tell me, but he said 'Just wait.' We finally arrived at a hotel suite, and his surprise was obvious. He told me that he was tried of waiting. I refused to sleep with him and so…" Raven began to sob into Seifer's chest and he put his arms around her, hoping to comfort her. Within ten minutes, she was sound asleep. He sighed and gently set her on her bed. Seifer smoothed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead in a surprising show of affection. He abruptly turned and left, complaining about girls from the sky making him soft.

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"RAVEN MOSS, PLEASE COME TO THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE. REPEAT, RAVEN MOSS, REPORT TO THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE."

_'What now?'_ the Gothic girl thought as she walked to the elevator and impatiently waited for it to reach the top. The doors opened and she just strode into Cid's office. "Ok, sir, what do you want? I was taking a nap."

The balding man smiled apologetically and motioned to a chair. When she didn't move, he sighed and started talking.

"I need some information from you about Luna." A cold lump steeled in Raven's stomach and she simply nodded. "Who's her legal guardian?"

"I am, sir. I'm 19 and the guardian of Luna and Terra."

"So you will make sure that her family will know what has happened?"

"Yes."

He began to ask normal questions about blood type, height, weight, insurance, and other things. Finally, he asked the question that she dreaded.

"Where did you come from and how did you get here? Please be honest."

She thought about it. If she said the wrong thing, all three of them could be toast. "We come from a world called Earth. Three wi- uh, sorceresses sent us hear to learn a lesson of some sort. We won't go back until we learn it." 'Please think that's real, please, oh, please!'

"Ok." Raven let out a silent sigh of relief. "You're dismissed." The girl smiled at Cid and left, feeling remarkably relieved.

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_See that pretty button below?_

_Press it and fill out the form._

_K?_


	11. Anger and Suspicion

Chapter 11 – Anger and Suspicion

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Terra's P.O.V.

Disclaimer: Hello again! The crown princess Zelda, Duchess of Mayrin has arrived! (trumpet blast) Anyways, I own Terra, Vamp owns Raven, Luna, and Aris, and everyone else is owned by Squaresoft. I have a feeling I'm not going to get paid for quite a long while, so don't even try to sue. Onward!

P.S. Hey, this is Vamp Queen. I know, she's crazy, but she's like a puppy. She just follows. Ok, in this one, Raven and Terra discuss Raven's talk with Cid and they also discuss what's going on with Luna. Are you ready?

I apologize now to those of you who liked Luna and wanted to see what happens. 

Zelda: Birdy! Tell them about my story!

Vamp: I was getting to that. Zelly here is partnering with the author of Luna and writing a little something for you. Check my favorite authors list and you'll find Zell-Zell.

Zelda: I hate that name!

Vamp: *evil sinister chuckle* I know. I also wanted you to know that, since I have the next chapter, it won't be done for about 10 days or so. I have a week long trip coming up and I don't have a laptop. L

Well, on with the story!

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     "Sent here to learn a lesson? That is _so_ lame, Raven." I sat down on the couch as Raven cooked breakfast, waffles with berries and whipped cream. She finished, and beckoned me to the table.

     "Yeah, well, can you think up a good lie in a split-second?" Silence. "Didn't think so."

     My mind was still occupied by thoughts of Luna. She was slowly wasting away – her bronzed skin was now paler than even Raven's, her hair had thinned, and her waist was now about the circumference of a basketball. There was no way we could counter that magic . . . she would die within two weeks, at the most.

     "I miss Moon-girl," I said after a long and painful silence. "I just wish she were here."

     "There's nothing we can do, Terra," Raven said sadly. "Wishing won't help us."

     "Suppose . . . suppose we found them again. Aris and Adel, I mean. If we challenged them – and won – do you think that would reverse the spell?"

     "Magic doesn't work that way."

     "Are you sure?"

     "Look, I don't know any more about magic than you do, but that? Of course I'm sure. It's common knowledge that a sorceress cannot undo a spell cast by another sorceress by killing her."

     "Is there any way, then?"

     "It's unlikely. There may be, but there's no way we'll ever be able to find out."

     "They have this stuff in the library, you know," I suggested. "All sorts of books on the subject."

     "We can't and we shouldn't, Fire-girl."

     "Why not?" I asked her, a bit upset now. "Why do you shoot down all my ideas?"

     "Look, if we mess with this magic, we'll only make it worse for ourselves. The Most Sovereign will not like it."

     "So you're just going to give up on her? Do you even _want_ to save her?"

     "Of course I wish I could. It's impossible, though."

     "It is not!" I said angrily. "Everything is impossible until somebody attempts to do it. How do we know if we don't try?" I slammed my fork down on the table. "You know what, I'm getting sick of this. Ever since we came here, you've not only been sour to everybody, but you've been less and less receptive, as well. Anybody has an idea, you write it off immediately, without even looking at it. You always put down my suggestions! I'm tired of it!"

     "Why are you so angry at me?" Raven shot back. "I haven't done anything!"

     "You have so," I replied. "You've been snapping at everyone around you, putting them down, acting as if your notions are superior to theirs –"

     "That's not true, and you know it, Terra."

     "What I know is that you don't even want to save Luna. I can see it – you may be glad she's gone!"

     "What, just because I'm not bawling my eyes out over her, suddenly I don't care? I have other problems on my mind, too."

     "So all of a sudden she's not nearly as important as Seifer, or your own selfish desire to get back home when it's so obvious that we can't. I see what you're saying."

     "I don't think you do!" Raven shouted. "For one thing, if you had half the problems I have, you wouldn't be thinking much about her, either! But I forgot, you don't seem to have any problems. It must be really easy to forget the rest of us, the ones who don't have a million guys going after her, or severe acne, or rich parents!"

     "So you're trying to depict me as a prissy brat, is that what you're saying?" I challenged her.

     "What if it is?"

     "I may be prissy, Raven, but at least I'm not some pathetic Goth who spends all her time trying to get the whole world to feel sorry for her!"

     There were flames in her eyes at that moment. "What did you say to me?"

     "You heard what I said."

     Suddenly, she advanced towards me, anger emblazoned all over her face. "I should blast you to the ground right now –"

     But she didn't have a chance, for I immediately cast a shining shield around myself, which Raven, though skilled, still couldn't figure out how to break. Raven bumped into it and fell to the ground.

     She sat up again and growled, "You're playing with fire, Terra!"

     "Yes, don't you find playing with fire so much fun?" I asked sarcastically, bringing up a small ball of flames and holding it in one hand. "In fact, the elements are my specialty, and you must remember, your animals and plants and my elements don't mix." All she could do was stare at me angrily as I continued. "Besides, what can you do to me? Age doesn't come with more knowledge!"

     For a moment, neither of us said anything. Finally, Raven snarled, "There is nothing you will ever be able to do about Luna. Stop wasting your time dreaming; it will never happen."

     "It's better to dream then spend all my time trying to get Seifer to sleep with me. You two are a perfect match – both of you are arrogant and cruel."

     I knew I had hit her hard, because the next thing she shouted was, "That's it. Breakfast is canceled for you!"

     "I don't need you to cook for me. Besides, I prefer rare steak to your waffles."

     I turned, dissipating the shield, and walked out, slamming the door behind me.

     Walking back to my dorm, I muttered, "Damn you, Raven. Damn you to hell."

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Ooohh . . . intense scene there. Whatcha think? Come on, don't be scared to tell us! Review!


	12. Fading... Falling... Broken...

Chapter 12- Fading… Falling… Broken…(revised)

Vamp Queen

Raven's P. O. V.

Hey. I hate writing disclaimers. They suck. Oh, if anyone can find out if you have to write one every chapter or not, it would be appreciated. But until then, I don't own anyone but Terra, Raven, Luna, and Aris. The first three are also owned by mesa coauthors. 

I also want to mention that if there is anyone out there reading this and is offended because of the strange

Ok, let's start.

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Pancake Disaster

Unknown date

At Balamb Garden

Dear Journal, 

I couldn't believe it. I was standing in the kitchenette with a plate of waffles in hand, looking out the door; I was feeling and listening to Terra curse me to the abyss. She just didn't know what it was like to kill at thirteen, to enjoy blood dripping down her hands, to see so many partners fall. Luna was simply one, just another. 

With the Witches Three, we draw our power from the mother goddess- Hecate. She was the goddess of magic, our sister, our mother, our friend. She was our destroyer.

We were not the first of the Witches Three. They were born holding hands with early magic. The Mother Goddess bestowed her identity on them. Their names were Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather. Strange, huh? They had the power according to their names. This was why the witches choose nicknames. Upon each witch was also bestowed one of the four identities of the Mother Goddess. These were the child, or maiden; the lover; the mother, or guardian; and the death crone. Flora has always been the maiden, Merriweather, the lover, and Fauna, the mother. One of the girls has another personality- the death crone. When that witch dies, her identity is passed on to the witch who took her place. 

Yeah, you guessed it. This time it's me. 

Luna got to be the innocent and carefree one. Terra got to flirt and fool around. That's why I always said that she shouldn't flirt. It's in her blood and lineage to loose that virginity. I, as the mother, was overprotective. Now, I have to watch one of my charges die again. 

Ok, I admit it. I am callus and coldhearted. That's what happens. Either that or have a nervous breakdown. That's what happened to the witch before Terra. She committed suicide.

It's not that I don't want or wish for a cure. It's just that I've seen it twice to people I cared about and there just isn't a way to stop it. I had set down the breakfast and sat in a chair, thinking about what had happened. I put my face in my hands, trying not to cry. 

My two partners before Terra and Luna were the only two that I ever really got close to. Mary, as we affectionately dubbed Merriweather, was cursed with the Waster's Curse. Florae [1], as she called herself, killed herself after watching Mary die. They had, ahem, been in love. I don't really go along with girl-girl relationships. Or guy-guy for that matter. But… they were my friends. It hurt seeing them die.

And the other? My mom. This curse is a personal insult to me, for it robbed me of my mother. To see her dying was like loosing the only hope I had. I was 10 and just starting my magic. A year later, I was one of the Three. 

I really am a total tomboy. Partly, this is because of my mother's death and never having that female presence around. It was also because of what Zach did to me two years ago. Guys never look for a girl under that grin that comes from a Goth who just tackled them to the ground. 

I'm going to miss Luna too. Even if I don't show it.

Three hours later…

Dear Journal,

I wandered off again. 

I was thinking about playing football and, out of nowhere, Seifer tackles me to the ground! I look up at him to yell at him and he suddenly said, "Do you want to come play football with us?"

I looked at him, astounded, and nodded. He smiled and helped me up. We walked for a bit and I dared to ask a question that had been bugging me:

"Seifer, are we ok about what happened a couple of days ago?"

He gave me a sideways look as we went down the stairs to the field. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, now, I'm not so sure that I'll be able to hit on you as much and I might even wait for you to make the first move before I kiss you again." He thought about it for a second, and then continued. "I might even ask, just to be on the safe side."

I laughed, thinking that he was joking. "Yeah, and pigs will fly."

"No, I'm serious." He stopped me and put his hands on my shoulders. We were around the corner from the field and, even though I knew that we wouldn't be seen until we stepped around, I felt safe anyways. That was a nice change. He kept talking. "I care about you for some reason. You have any problems with anyone and the Disciplinary Committee will be on them like a pack of starving wolves on a cow. We're friends, 'k?" he smoothed my hair away from my face and smiled. It was just like how my brothers would have done it except… different…

"Hey! Raven!"

I groaned inwardly and pulled away from Seifer. I turned just in time to see Selphie trip on her feet and tumble to mine. She winced and looked up at me. "Raven! Luna's awake! I was sent to find you and Terra."

My frown deepened. "Have you seen Terra yet?"

"No."

"Good. Don't tell her." I sprinted off to the med center, ignoring Selphie's protests. I got there in record time.

Luna sat up to greet me. "Hi, Raven. Come to see me off?"

I looked shocked. How did she know that she was going to die 15 minutes after waking?

Luna chuckled upon seeing my dismay. "The Most Sovereign told me," she said simply. "Tell Terra that I'll miss her." She lay back down and I took off her necklace so that I could give it to the next one. Otherwise, it would have disappeared. As her eyes closed, I whispered, "May you accept my sister, Mother Goddess."

Then she was gone.

Terra thinks that death is a big catastrophe. It's not. It just happens. I looked down at the necklace in my hand that symbolized her position. A single Celtic knot. Terra had one that was two intertwined and mine was three connected. Mine had one difference though. The word "death" was carved in the back.

I sighed. Now to tell Terra.

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OH! 

Thank you so much for the reviews!

I just wanted to thank you all.

Sorceress Fujin- Thank you for being the first person to review and for helping me with some of the chapters!

Marsbar- Congratulations! You have review the most! Thank you so much for your support!

LASP- I understand that you may not have the same opinions as me (or same taste in pairings…) but continue bashing Rinoa!

Julie-girl- No, Terra is not going for Seifer. And I'm sorry, but Squall tends to view a lot as mindless chatter.

Houoji- I'm so sorry! Luna died and you were waiting for the Luna-Zell pairing! My deepest apologies.

LaLaLand- Thank you for reviewing my, ahem, cute story. As you see, I have written.

PrincessMaxwell- thanks for my first flame!

Ender- last, but hopefully not least. You reviewed the last chapter first. Kudos!

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[1] pronounced Floor-a

Look, I'm sorry too that Luna is gone. But, if you look up Zelda Til Rednaxelos in my favorite authors, or Always Yours Part 2 in my favorite stories, then you can find the continuation of Luna's story.

Wait.

She gets a sequel and I don't?

That's wrong.

Review and tell me if you agree.


	13. Darkness Descending

Chapter 13 – Darkness Descending

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Terra's P.O.V.

     I hate disclaimers. Same thing over and over again . . .

     Damn it, Luna already died! That wasn't supposed to happen until chapter 14! Vamp Queen, I swear . . . oh, well. Nothing I can do – like there ever _is_ anything I can do . . . (frustrated sigh)

     Anyway – Luna, along with Terra, Raven, and the elusive Aris all belong to us. To be more specific, Raven and Aris are Vamp's, Terra is mine, and Luna is property of both. Everyone else is property of Squaresoft. This is so tedious.

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     A jolt sprang through my head as I sat in Quistis's chair crying. I jerked out of my sad state and looked around me. Where had that come from?

     What the . . .

     "Luna!"

     I leaped out of the chair and rushed to the door. The jolt had to have come from the infirmary . . . something was terribly wrong.

     I ran down the hall as fast as I possibly could, past the other dorms, around the huge fountain, and into the infirmary. I passed Squall and Irvine on my way, but didn't acknowledge them.

     "Terra!" Irvine shouted after me. "Where are you going?"

     "Let's follow," Squall said. "Something's up."

     I finally got to the infirmary, and rushed into Luna's quarters to find Raven standing above her . . . and I knew it was too late.

     Raven looked at me in silence. "What's happened to her?" I cried. She just shook her head.

     I pushed past her and stood beside Luna's bed. The color was gone from her lips. Her skin was turning gray, and her hair had lost its shine. I grabbed her wrist and tried to find a pulse – but there was nothing.

     Then the realization hit me. Luna was gone.

     Tears welled up in my eyes, and couldn't be held back, no matter how hard I tried. The tears spilled down my cheeks as I began to sob.

     "Luna . . . Luna!" I shouted, crying so loudly I was sure I could be heard through the entire Garden. "You can't leave us! Please!" I knelt down beside the bed and cried into the mattress. "No . . . _no_ . . . _this can't be_!"

     "Stop it, Terra," Raven said coolly.

     "Why did this happen to you, _why_?" I moaned, now making no attempt to hold back my screams.

     "Terra!"

     "This can't happen, it _can't_!"

     "_Stop this_!" Raven grabbed my shoulder and shoved me to the ground. I hit my head against the wooden floor, but the pain was irrelevant. I was shaking too violently to notice.

     I looked up at her angrily. "What do you _want_?"

     "Stop these crocodile tears," Raven ordered. "Tears won't do any good. Luna is dead; accept it."

     "Accept it?" I cried, in shock. "_Accept it_? Raven, how would you feel if one of your closest friends just _dropped dead_?"

     "Look, you need to shut up," Raven said callously. "So she's dead. You really expect me to care? It happens. Deal with it – it's not any disaster."

     I struggled to stand up. I wiped the tears away and looked her straight in the eye, enraged.

     "No, actually, I didn't expect you to care," I said through clenched teeth. "How could you? You didn't care about her. You don't care about anybody – especially not your own partners!"

     "I never said that."

     "You don't. This is proof! 'So Luna dies – _no big deal_!'" I turned away from her and stared at Luna's lifeless corpse as I continued. "I always knew you didn't like her much at all." 

     "You are such a stupid and overdramatic sap."

     "And you're insensitive and pathetic! You're nothing but a heartless beast!"

     Raven was about to retaliate, but was interrupted when someone burst into the door.

     I looked up. Irvine exploded in, followed by Squall. Irvine immediately started, "Okay, gals, what's happened here –"

     Then his eyes rested on me. Normally I would have tried to hide my tears, but it didn't matter now; my world was falling apart at the seams anyway.

     Squall took one look at Luna and sighed, bowing his head.

     Irvine hurried over to my side. He put an arm around my shoulder and led me to a chair in the opposite corner of the room, away from Raven. He spoke to me softly, saying, "Terra, sweetheart, please. I know you're upset, but I'm begging you, don't do this."

     As Irvine tried to comfort me, Zell stumbled in. "What's up?" he asked. "I'm sorry to be crashing in like this, but –"

     The sight of Luna's motionless body silenced him. He froze where he was, eyes fixed on her.

     For a while, no one spoke. Zell broke the ominous stillness by crying out softly, "Luna . . . she's . . ."

     "Dead," Raven finished. "Don't say anything more."

     "That _bitch_!" I screeched. "That thoughtless, uncaring, selfish fiend! The demon doesn't give a fucking shit whether any of us lives or dies! She doesn't care – Raven is so high above the rest of us, she feels no need to care about the rest of us _lowlifes_!"

     As I was shouting, Seifer walked in. As Irvine tried to quiet me down, Seifer trained his sights on Raven, looking straight into her eyes as if trying to bore a hole into her skull. Raven met his gaze, and he asked slowly, "What did you say to her, Raven?"

     Raven crossed her arms and replied, "I simply told that idiot over there that death is a fact of life. You can't change it, you can't stop it. There is no need to make a mountain out of a molehill."

     I could see that Seifer was getting angry. He walked over to her, trench coat flowing behind him. Raven said nothing as he stood a couple inches in front of her, towering over her threateningly.

     "A molehill, huh? Is that what you call it?" He snarled at her. "I don't see how something as heartbreaking as death, especially the death of a dear friend, could possibly be dismissed as a mere happening of life."

     "What does it matter?" Raven asked him rhetorically. "I've been through this before. I came, I saw, I survived."

     He growled at her again. "How dare you treat it as such," he said, "causing the people I _thought_ you loved to cry, and expecting us all to move on. How . . . _dare_ . . . you."

     Seifer turned and walked away, joining the rest of us around my chair. Irvine stood, bringing me with him, and motioned the others to follow. We headed towards the door.

     Irvine and Squall shot dark glances toward Raven. Seifer looked at her gravely and said, "I thought you were better than this. I thought you had the capacity to care about someone other than yourself. I suppose I was pretty foolish for it." He sighed and finished, "And you have the nerve to call me cruel."

     With that, we walked out of the infirmary, leaving Raven by herself, with no one else around but a dead corpse.

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Journal entry #74

Date unknown

     I knew, from the moment I met them, that Raven and Luna were not right for each other. It was evident in the way they looked at each other, the tones in their voices when they spoke to or about each other, everything. They claimed they were best friends, but I could tell that inside, they despised each other.

     They never had a good relationship. In the past, they were constantly fighting. Every time I spoke to them, they had something to say about the other person. Raven was convinced that Luna could do nothing but wreak havoc on her life, and in Luna's opinion, Raven was the worst friend one could ever have. In some ways, they were both right. They gossiped about each other behind their backs, and then would try to kiss up to each other as if nothing had happened; they insulted each other on a regular basis; they were always making each other cry. Raven, too, whether or not she wanted to admit it.

     All that was bad enough. But what _really_ bothered me was that they would always drag me into it. One would come up to me and say, "Oh, Luna is such a brat" or "Raven is a bitch" or whatever. Then I would usually take sympathy on whoever the complainer was, since both of them were so good at making themselves look like the real victim. Then the other person would tell me to buzz off, that it was none of my business – unless I decided to switch loyalties. Funny how only then did the other person want me involved. Back and forth I would go, until I one day decided that I could no longer partake in their arguments.

     Theirs was a yo-yo relationship. One week, they did nothing but bicker. Once Raven's mother even tried to issue a restraining order against Luna, which made no sense at all, since Luna had never physically threatened Raven in any way. Naturally, Raven's family was never able to convince anybody to give the order. And what do you know, the next week, everything's fine, they've forgiven each other, the usual crap. A couple weeks go by, and they have something new to fight about. It's all blown over the next day. On and off, on and off they went. They held grudges against each other. In arguments, they were constantly bringing up past flare-ups, just to ire the other person. It was chaos between the two.

     They tried to pretend they were so close, but it was all a lie. They hated each other. It was clear to everyone else; why wasn't it clear to them? Each time they fought, they would say, "This time, it's over for good," but what happens? The next day, everything is fresh as a daisy between the two. They both were very immature about it; I was the only rational person in the situation.

     The last time this happened, I scolded them both severely for what they put themselves and everybody else through. "I'm disappointed in both of you," I told them. "You ruined my week with this. I cried when I got home, because I was such an idiot to believe that you had more dignity than this. You let me down."

     At least Luna listened to me and told me she was sorry for it all. The thing I liked about her was that she took responsibility for her actions, saying either, "Yes, I know what you mean – I'm sorry," or, "Yeah, I did it – what are you going to do about it?" Depending on whom she was talking to, of course. Raven, however, was stubborn. She always tried to say, "I didn't do anything." She put on this perfect-angel masquerade, but she was no lily. She seemed to believe that she could do no wrong, and though she pretended to acknowledge that she was no purer than the next girl, she still acted like she was the epitome of perfection. _What a load of bullshit_.

     And here she would go, moping around even more than the typical Goth, trying to get everyone to take pity on her. So I basically wasted my breath on her – and that really irked me, because I wasn't saying these things to her just to hear myself talk. I was worried about her, and she shrugged me off.

     I always thought that if one day Luna died, Raven wouldn't give a damn, just say, "Well, shucks," and move on. Though I never said it aloud, to me, Raven was really starting to become a bitch.

     Now Luna truly is dead. And my prediction was right; Raven doesn't care what happens to her, which is making me think that she doesn't care about me, either.

~Terra

     I closed my journal and set it beside me on the bed. Luna had given me the journal for my birthday last year. It was all I had left of her now.

     I put the journal under my pillow and began to sob all over again, eventually crying myself to sleep.

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     What do you think? Review us!


	14. Moonless Night

Chapter 14- Moonless Night

Vamp Queen

First Person Perspective

Raven's POV

I give up. From now on, I will no longer be disclaiming. This is the last one. It goes for the rest of the chapters.

WE OWN ONLY RAVEN, TERRA, LUNA, AND ARIS. THE REST IS SQUARESOFT© OWNED. WE WANT NOTHING FOR THIS STORY AND WE CLAIM NO OWNERSHIP TO ANY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS FROM THE GAME!!!

Wow. That felt good… ok, time for the story…

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That hurt. All that anger against me? Even if you can't tell how people feel by looking at them, it still hurts. Luna was never really good for the job anyways. She complained, she never came to meetings, she…

I'm slipping into bitch mode again. 

I miss her already. I couldn't look at her body, but I looked down at the necklace in my hand. She was always so carefree. So innocent. And it hurt that everyone that I cared about hated me for trying not to hurt. Afraid that I would cry, I left the room and walked down the hall. 

Wait. _People_ I care about? As in plural? I stopped at the fountain and sat on its edge. Well, there was Terra, of course. And I guess that Zell's annoying jokes and strange behavior have grown on me. Irvine's nicknames and small gestures that make me feel like someone noticed I'm female without pushing it has been helpful with dealing with Seifer. Squall is like Trevor, my brother who's a year older than me and closer to my heart than anyone else. He's been a great friend. And every time I see Seifer, my heart stops and it's hard to breathe. It's a familiar feeling. Like when I was with Zach. 

I froze, and then groaned aloud. 

I had fallen in love with Seifer. 

I got up and left the Garden. There was a sure way to make me forget this for a while. I knew the way to the bar by heart. 

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Seifer's POV

I watched as Raven walked into my normal haunt. It was painfully obvious that she wasn't the legal age of 21,and I knew the barkeep saw this. He was about to tell her so, but something she said made him stop. He handed her something strong. I couldn't tell what it was, simply that he had pulled it from his stash under the counter. She nodded thanks and sat at the bar. 

I watched as she filled the first shot, downed it in one gulp, and filled the glass back up. At this rate, she would be drunk hard and quickly. I didn't stop the feral smile that appeared on my face. 

I was just angry enough to take advantage of that.

I watched her hungrily, like a cat waiting for its prey, while she got herself totally drunk. I subconsciously licked my lips as she closed her eyes, waiting for a spell of dizziness to pass. She was ready.

It seemed totally quiet as I walked up to her. It was as if I had walked into her world with her joys. Her dreams. Her shadows. Her demons. 

For a second, I thought that I had seen Luna in a corner of the room, but dismissed it as a hallucination or me simply scaring myself. I put my hands to her waist and whispered, "Come on, Raven. Let's go."

Since I was expecting a protest or total compliance, it shocked me when she turned in my arms and kissed me. The hard liquor on her breath didn't shock me. I had had drunk and stoned girls. It was the passion and the gentleness that she put into that one kiss that sent me reeling. When her tongue requested entry, I granted it.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally parted. I realized that her arms were around my neck and that she was playing with my hair. This wasn't right. I had to get the upper hand. 

I pulled her up against me to show her my intentions. Her eyes burned with desire and she slowly licked her lips. God, she was _really_ drunk.

I leaned over slightly and whispered in her ear, "My bed's been cold lately." My tongue traced the edge of her earlobe and I felt her involuntary shiver. "I've been saving it for you," I whispered again and bit her earlobe. Her purr of pleasure sent shivers down my back. 

I hadn't taken or drunken anything, but I was suddenly aware of every place that we were touching- her hands on my neck, mine on her waist, her hips against mine, and her breasts pushing against me every time she took a breath. 

I pulled her to me and walked out, carefully leading her. She didn't stagger or stumble. She actually seemed quite alert. I guess the alcohol simply loosened her up. 

She ducked under my jacket and cuddled against me. I had no idea that someone else could fit under there. I would have to remember that the next time some girl says that she's cold.

Normally this might have been considered rape. Even if it was, I didn't care. At least I knew that this would hurt her. Yet it seemed like she knew that she was doing this and wanted to. Oh well. Works for me.

We got to my room and I pressed her to the door, trailing feverish kisses on her face, neck, collar, - anything I could get at, really. She found the doorknob and we stumbled into my room.

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Raven's POV

I woke up groggily, with a total headache. Since when had I had silk sheets? And when did I sleep nude? I looked around at the room and began to feel scared. Then Seifer walked in and my worst fears were confirmed.

Seifer smirked and sat down. "Morning, precious," he said smoothing out my hair. To his obvious amazement, I didn't pull away. I just looked at him. "What's wrong?" he asked mockingly.

"Was I that much of a bitch? That you did this to me?" I surprised myself with the calmness of my voice. "Did I make you that angry?"

His look hardened. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, you were. You didn't care about your friend dying and you hurt everyone else. Those people became my family. I care about them and would willingly die for them. Unlike you, of course." He sneered at me. "I bet that you don't have an explanation."

I bowed my head for a second, and then looked at him. I was told later that I frightened him because I seemed to have totally lost the soul in my eyes. 

"I have one. You won't like it, though. I am a sorceress." He recoiled and I felt the disgust and fear that came from him. "No, I did not kill her. And I won't hurt you. I am one of the most powerful here. If I had wanted her dead, she would have been dead long ago. But, since she's one too, I guess I won't know. I am the identity of death, Seifer. I hold the keys to Hades. I deliver death and send the dead on their way. One of the identities of my goddess is the death crone, the Great Raven. I have that identity on me with the identity of the mother. Death hurts me no longer. 

"Luna had the identity of the child, and Terra, the lover. We now have two enemies and we knew that she was going to die. I told Terra to shut up and stop because it was no place for tears and she should have been prepared for it." As I said this, I got up and began to dress, ignoring Seifer's eyes and my tears.

"I trusted you, Seifer. Yet here I am with a hangover and in your bed. I should have killed you last night."

I started to walk out when he called, "Why didn't you?"

I stopped, partly in the doorway. I sighed and said quietly, "Because I love you, Seifer." I left, allowing him to laugh at me in private.

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Aris's POV

I cackled gleefully as I watched her leave him. Whether he had slept with her or no, gotten her pregnant or not, she would feel as if she was and it would appear that way. That ought to bring her down enough.

I stepped back to allow the three orbs to rotate. One was dark and disappearing, but that did not matter. I looked into the one with Terra. 

I was going to take Raven. I was oldest anyways. But still, this one intrigued me. She kept going to the idea of hurting herself, yet she never did. 'I will make sure she does this time,' I thought as Terra reached into the medicine cabinet for a sleeping pill. I pulled up one of her subconscious's thoughts and cackled as her hand stopped over Quistis's razor.

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Well, thanks all of you who reviewed, but I'm a greedy brat. More!!!!!!!! And to all of those who were mad at Raven, well, this is for you.

VAMP QUEEN


	15. Tears of Scarlet

Chapter 15 – Tears of Scarlet

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Terra's P.O.V.

     Note: Just to let you know, I am not in anyway promoting or endorsing the act of self-mutilation. DO NOT EVER try this, no matter how depressed you are – believe me, it only makes it worse.

     Anywho . . . sorry for the huge delay! See, certain people think that trying simply to stay out of trouble is just as worthy of punishment as _not_ trying to stay out of trouble, but little do certain people know that it only makes me want to rebel against certain people even more. So certain people keep taking away my hard drive, and my chapter and email along with it. God damn those certain people.

Vamp Queen: Ok, I know that she hates this, but I have to. This is a long chappie and I hope you guys like it. I'll get the next one out as soon as possible. Thanks!

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     Quistis's razor blade. Sharp, shiny, painful . . . exactly what I wanted.

     With a bit of hesitation, I let it rest lightly on my arm. Just one little stroke . . . it wouldn't hurt much, would it? It was just blood, after all. I'd seen blood before; I wasn't scared by it, and in fact, the sight of it actually lifted my spirits a bit. Or was I wrong? Was it too much for me to handle –

     "Aaaahhh!"

     I sharply pulled the razor away. In my train of thought I had unconsciously pressed the blade too hard and cut myself. A thin, perfectly straight line of blood seeped from the cut.

     I watched as the blood slowly trickled down my arm, half-shocked, yet half-comforted . . .

     Wait.

     Comforted.

     It actually wasn't that bad. It hurt, but not a lot.

     What if I did it again?

     Hmm . . .

     Once again, I touched the razor lightly to my skin. Closing my eyes tightly, I took a deep breath and pressed down.

     I winced as I released my grip. It stung a bit, and at first I was beginning to regret it.

     But it wasn't that bad. And it was something I could find solace in. It was rewarding, to the point where it was almost . . . fun.

     So, with that in mind, I got to work. I began slicing at my arm repeatedly, with a glint of mad glee in my eye. I soon got used to the pain of it. A cut above, a cut below . . .

     By the time I was finished, I had twenty perfect lines, each about a quarter of an inch apart, one for each wretched day we had spent in this suddenly gloomy world.

     Tears began to spill down my checks once more, onto the crimson-stained porcelain skin, washing the blood away . . . and my turmoil.

     At least, for now.

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     That night, as I lay on the couch staring up at the ceiling, Quistis came in with a bag from the cafeteria. "Hey, Terra," she greeted me.

     "Hi," I replied miserably.

     She recognized my sad tone and came to sit down on the couch beside me. "You're still upset about yesterday, aren't you?"

     "How could I not be? After my best friend died, and Raven was a total brute about it?"

     Quistis sighed and rested her hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. It must be terrible."

     "You don't know the half of it."

     She smiled sadly. Reaching into her bag, she said, "Come on, cheer up. I got you some food from the cafeteria. They were serving these huge beef steaks – nice and rare, too. It almost shrank away when you poked it with a knife." She finally found the wrapped up steak and brought it to the kitchen. "I'll bet you're hungry right now. You haven't eaten since yesterday."

     I sighed. I really wasn't in the mood for this. How was I going to eat at a time like this?

     "Thanks, Quistis, but . . ."

     "But what?" she asked, concerned now. "Is everything alright?"

     "Yeah, things are okay . . . I'm just not hungry right now, that's all."

     "Not hungry?" Quistis raised both her eyebrows in surprise. "But Terra, I thought you liked steak."

     "I do. I don't feel like eating right now, though."

     Quistis sighed, evidently troubled now. "You're sure?"

     "Yeah."

     She shook her head and turned to the fridge, placing the steak inside. "Well, when you decide you're ready to eat," she said, "it's here in the fridge. Just fix it when you want it, okay?"

     "Mmm-hmm. Thank you."

     She was getting ready to retire when she stopped at the doorway. Looking back at me, she asked, "You know, Terra . . . I know you're grieving right now. But I'm getting worried that maybe . . . maybe you're going to end up with some dangerous habits." She paused for a bit, biting her lip slightly, before she continued, "Just be careful, okay?"

     "Okay, Quistis."

     As she left, I thought to myself, _If only she knew . . . if only she knew._

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     _"Yes, yes! She is weakened at last!"_

_     "That was not so hard, was it, Aris?"_

_     "Oh, Adel, it was so fun, messing with her mind! I love it so!"_

_     Adel smiled evilly as she peered into the pool at Terra, savoring the sight of the depressed young sorceress. "You never told me which one you wanted to take, my sister," she said._

_     "I was thinking about that death crone for a while, actually," Aris replied. "But the lover is just so much fun to toy with . . . I cannot decide!"_

_     Adel chuckled. "Well, then, let me try her out – see which one I like better. Hmm . . . let me see, what would be the most amusing way to torture her? Let me think now . . . oh, I have it!"_

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     Days passed, and still I wasn't hungry at all. No matter how much I wanted to eat _something_, the mere sight of food sickened me. The mutilation continued; every day, I added a slash to each of my arms. Luckily for me, as a sorceress I would not necessary die from a sliced artery.

     Raven and I continued to avoid each other. My anger at her continued to grow with each passing hour. Hours turned to days; days turned to nights; soon, a week had passed since Luna's death. Zell was still mourning a bit – obviously he had really liked Luna. Seifer was just as angry as I was at Raven. Irvine and Quistis tried to feed me, but to no avail. Selphie was getting extremely worried about all of us, and as for Squall . . . well, I couldn't tell what he was feeling. He still wouldn't talk to me much; which was just as well, I suppose, since I didn't want to talk to anyone, anyway.

     Soon Quistis was out of disposable razors, and she sent me on an errand to Fujin's dorm to pick up some more. I was glad to – I needed those razors, as well.

     When I got to the dorm, Fujin extended a warm welcome as she let me in, saying, "Hey. How are things?"

     "Terrible," I replied, not caring that she was suddenly speaking normally.

     "I'm really sorry."

     I could only nod. "Thanks."

     "Well, the razors are in the bathroom. Take as many as you need." She smiled kindly at me as I passed through the bedroom to the bathroom cabinet.

     On the way over, I noticed an open book lying on the stand beside the couch. Curious thing . . . making sure Fujin wouldn't see me, I walked cautiously over to the book and looked it over.

     _Raven's journal,_ I thought._ Well, well – this might prove to be interesting._

     "Terra? Did you find them?"

     Stuffing the journal into my sweater, I quickly went over to the cabinet, got the razors, and went out.

     "Got them," I said, holding them up. "Thanks, Fujin."

     "No prob," she responded as she led me out. "And Terra?"

     "Yeah?"

     "Try to feel better, okay?"

     "Yeah, sure." _Yeah, I think I'll feel at least slightly better . . . this will be fun._

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     Flipping to the second-to-last entry, I came across the first paragraph: '_She just didn't know what it was like to kill at thirteen, to enjoy blood dripping down her hands, to see so many partners fall. Luna was simply one, just another.'_

     _Yeah, that's nice of you, Raven,_ I thought as I read on. Another partner, huh? Just as I thought – we _were_ all the same to her.

     I supposed that she was a "mother" to us simply because she had to be, not because she cared about us. It was her position in life, and there was nothing she could do to change it. So if you can't beat them, join them.

     "Best friends, my ass," I muttered as I read on.

     She went on to explain our positions, what happened to her partners, and a conversation with Seifer. _How could she think about football when people around her are dying?_

     The part about her killing at thirteen stuck in my mind, so I flipped way back, trying to find out more. _Let's see, another fight with Luna . . . whining about her brothers . . . detention – again . . . it's raining outside . . . here!_

     I found an entry near the very beginning of the journal, dated sometime in January, the Year of Our Lady One Thousand Ninety-Four:

     '_Finally – that annoying twit is dead._

_    ' I did it. I fulfilled my destiny as the death crone; I have taken William's life._

_     'That annoying cousin of mine was getting on my nerves. So I just picked him off. Paralyzed him, seized the knife while he was down, and killed him._

_     'He found out about my being a sorceress. Just a couple of months ago, he got into my room and snooped until he found something. And he's sixteen, too – he should know better. He taunted and taunted me about it, dangling it in front of my face, laughing at me. No one disrespects me that way – no one. Because of this, he had to go._

_     'So I killed him quickly. Blood was all over my hands and clothes afterwards, but I didn't care. I loved the feeling of blood trickling down my fingers, knowing it was William's blood, the blood of my adversary of the moment._

_     'I disposed of his body quickly. At least I know how to send things out into space, where no one will find them._

_     'Maybe I could grow used to this death crone thing. I have power now. I can kill anyone I want, when I want, however I want. I can torture them, I can make it quick and painless, I can do whatever. All this strength – I probably have more strength in my little finger than all of my brothers combined. It comes with responsibility, yes. But I guess I don't mind. As the death crone, I can do whatever I chose. I can pick off partners, old boyfriends, family members that upset me, and no one will ever know – or care._

_     'I am death incarnate. It is my power, my control – I am the one to decide who will live and who will die.'_

     She was just as conceited then as she was now. But that was one of her major faults. "Wow, she has faults!" I said mockingly. "Shocking, indeed."

     Foolish, arrogant Raven. She thought that just because she was our death crone, she was the only one with the capacity to kill? Who said it was her choice who lived and died?

     I smiled to myself. Little did she realize that I, too, was capable of execution.

     It was my mother I had killed, three weeks before my thirteenth birthday – younger than Raven had been. But my mother never knew of the power I had just acquired. Neither would she ever; I would kill her first.

     I had to. She was abusive of me, physically and emotionally. She would often tell me how worthless I was, how much she hated me. She once told me that if my father hadn't been rich enough to attract her, I would never have existed. When they were married, she cheated on him with other men; she would often go out all night, sometimes for days at a time. Dad finally divorced her, but unfortunately, somehow she got seventy percent custody.

     It was funny, though, how much she did for me in public. She paid for music and ballet lessons; she encouraged me to make myself as beautiful as possible, to attract guys' attention; she was wonderful when others were around. But then she treated me like shit once we got home. I was nothing but a "trophy daughter", something she could wave around to receive praise from society.

     My dad saw all this, and tried to get me away from her completely. I thought she would be glad to get rid of me, but instead, she fought as hard as she could to keep her trophy. She denied every charge, covered up every shred of evidence – and she won the case. Dad had given up . . . but I would not.

     I had just acquired my sorceress powers, and was pretty good at it; I caught on quickly. In five months I was the strongest of the Witches Three, as my mentor, who had yet to introduce me to Raven and Luna, told me. I explained my problem to her, and she said it was necessary for me to seek refuge with my father, or I would soon find myself in a world of suffering. I decided that the only way was to dispose of my mother, and quickly.

     One night, when she was about to strike me again, I pushed her back into the wall. I believe that if I hadn't, she would have killed me right there, so I had to do it first. When I had finished her, my mentor helped me cast her remains into space, where she could never hurt me again.

     Technically it wasn't murder; I had to kill her to protect myself and others. I hadn't even planned to attack her then. It just sort of happened, and I figured, why not finish it off? Better sooner than later.

     I couldn't condemn Raven for killing her cousin. I had killed, too. What I could condemn her for was the fact that she did it in cold blood. Just because she was annoyed by her bratty cousin. I, however, was in great danger. There is nothing wrong with self-defense, so Hecate justified me.

     Reading on through the journal, I found out that she had assassinated Zach, too, right after he had screwed her in the motel. There were other disturbing things in there, too, some about Luna and I.

     But the last entry was the one that hit me hardest:

_     'So Luna is gone now. Dead as a doornail. Fine with me._

_     'Why does everyone care so much? The guys hardly knew her, and Terra – forget Terra. She's a brat, anyway. If she were the death crone of the group, she wouldn't care, either.'_

     There it was, that "death personified" thing again, rubbing it in everyone's faces. Just like her, that Raven.

     '_Seifer has just screwed me over, apparently. He led me on, telling me he'd be gentle . . . but taking advantage of me. So I had gotten drunk – still, why would Seifer be that cruel?'_

     The question was, "Was she drunk? Did she expect any better of Seifer? Was she trying to get into his bed, anyway?" And the ultimate question, "Why would _she_ be so cruel?"

     '_Better not tell Terra. Oh, well, not like I'm speaking to her, anyway. Yeah, I'm trying to get her to eat, but only because I have to. I'm the mother; the mother watches out for the other two sorceresses. It's my position in life. Do I do it with a smile? Nope – I can't stand Terra, couldn't stand Luna. I never could._

_     'Why did I ever tell people they were my best friends? I was always fighting with Luna. Terra and I are polar opposites. They expected me to care about things, when everyone else knew I wasn't happy and chipper like them. They must have mistaken my for someone who gives a damn._

_     'I suppose Terra is right. I don't care about them. Like I said before, they're only partners. I'm stuck with them until they die off, only to get replaced. It's nothing – why do they make such a big deal of it?_

_     'I may even be starting to _hate_ Terra at this point.'_

     _Hate_.

     Raven _hated_ me?

     But . . . I didn't understand. Why? What did I do?

     '_Scratch that. I'm _certain_ that I hate Terra. She's stupid and flighty. So her dad is a rich jackass. So she has guys wanting her and girls wanting to be her. So she has flawless skin and a great body. None of it matters to me. I hate her. She has caused me too much trouble._

_     'Fine. She doesn't want to eat, she can starve herself to death. I don't care anymore. Did I ever? She can waste away, just like Luna did. I'm tired of her . . . so I'll just let her die.'_

     I closed the journal and set it beside me. I was shocked and saddened; was I really that terrible? I thought we had been best friends. She had told me we were . . . but it was all a lie.

     Frustrated, I headed to the bathroom and grabbed the razor. I slashed another mark on my arms – another day Raven had gone about detesting me.

     I looked into the mirror at my wretched reflection, and saw that running down my cheeks were burgundy tears – tears of scarlet.

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     Review?


	16. Another one...

Chapter 16- Another one?

Vamp Queen

Third-person perspective

Time: twenty days after last chapter, forty days since they came to the Garden

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Hey, I'm back. I thank all those who read and reviewed, but if you're reading this and you do not review, I WILL BE WATCHING YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahem, thanks. 

I know that a lot of you will have ideas about this chapter and the meaning to the title. Well, you're in for a surprise. I love surprises!

In an upcoming chapter, Zell-Zell, my co-author, will be writing a chapter together. I can tell already that it will be strange…

Why do you people hate Raven so much? Oh, well. On with the chapter… *grumbling* no one likes my character… how dare they…

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Raven knelt and tried to catch her breath. She now saw why Squall was a good opponent for Seifer. Not only was he strong, but also there was a resiliency that she admired. 

Something was not right, though. She was incredibly strong and he wasn't trying very hard, yet she was loosing. She was too weakened to continue. There was something wrong, really wrong.

"Are you ok?" Squall went over to her and knelt down. She was paler than usual and was having a hard time breathing. "You don't look very good."

She waved him off. "I'm fine."

"Then try standing." He realized that this was a bad idea when she looked at him stubbornly and tried desperately to stand. "Never mind. I'm taking you to the med center." He picked her up and started walking.

Raven didn't protest. She was too tired. She looked at the faint red marks on her arms and sighed. "Squall?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"How do you feel about Terra?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "I thought that you hated her and the only reason that you took care of her was because of your duties as a sorceress."

The black-haired girl glared at him. Ever since Seifer had told the entire Garden about her being a sorceress, the word didn't stop cropping up in conversations. Thankfully, everyone accepted her as one and no ridicule had come. Squall was the only guy she knew of who had read her diary and lived to tell about it. "I care about her too. I hate her, yes, but there's a part of me that doesn't. I don't know. It's just strange. And now that you've avoided that question for a few minutes, what's your answer?"

"You don't give up, do you?"

"Nope."

He shook his head, chuckling slightly. "All right, I give in. I like her. A lot. She's really special." His face darkened. "But that chap-wearing idiot is always around her. And hanging on her. And flirting with her. And…"

"Ok, ok, I get the picture. Geez, you're really obsessed with her." She laughed at his scowl then got serious. "If you really care about her, get her to stop this." She showed him the forty marks on her arms. "She has the real thing. She's been cutting herself and she won't eat. Send Irvine to get me from the med center and talk to her. I want to drill it into his head that he needs to allow her to breath every once in a while."

"Alright, fine. If it will get that jerk away from her." Squall noticed the vacant expression on his friend's face. "Raven? Is there something that you're not telling me?"

"…"

"Raven?" 

"…" 

"Hello?"

"He took advantage of me."

Squall stared at her in confusion and disbelief. "Who?"

"I fell in love with him and while I was drunk, he took advantage of me."

"Who?" Squall was angry now. Raven was as close to him as Elonie was.

"Seifer." Squall's eyes blazed and he began to plan extreme pain for the blonde idiot. 

"Squall," she said, noticing the look of extreme hatred on his face. "Don't hurt him. He didn't know. He just didn't know." With that, she stared off into space and refused to talk to him for the rest of the walk.

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Squall walked into Terra and Quistis's room and looked to Irvine. "Raven asked for you to pick her up from the med center. She needs your help with something." Irvine was obviously confused as to why she wanted him, but went anyways. 

Squall waited for him to be completely gone before he turned to Terra. "Is Quistis here?"

"No. Squall, did she really want to talk to him or were you just trying to get rid of him?" she was surprised that he smiled and said, "A little of both."

She grinned back. "So, what do you want?"

He kissed her.

Terra, in her complete and total shock, could only kiss him back. He might have been shy and withdrawn when he talked to people, but there was nothing reclusive about his kiss. He pulled the wisp that she considered a body now closer to him and deepened the kiss. She was in heaven.

He pulled away and looked into her eyes. His were searching for something, hers, betraying everything that she felt at the moment. Without looking away from her eyes, Squall took her arm and rolled up her sleeve. She tried to pull away, but his gentle grip was strong and stubborn. "Why do you do this to yourself?" he whispered, tracing each of the scars. "Is it because you feel that no one loves you? Or that they don't care about you?" he lifted her arm up and slowly kissed each of the lines, causing her to shiver. "So many love you, Terra. Each in their own way." He looked back up at her. _Tell me why, _his eyes whispered. _Share all of your secrets. Tell me that you love me too._

"I love you," he whispered and he kissed her again.

Once the kiss ended, he saw tears in her eyes. He pulled her into a tight hug and stroked her hair. "It's ok to cry," he told her.

And she did. 

When she fell asleep in his arms, he took her to her bed and laid her there. He sat with her and petted her hair until he, too, fell asleep.

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Irvine sauntered into the med center and tipped his hat to the receptionist. "Where might I be able to find Raven Moss, pretty lady?" he asked, winking at the teenage girl. She giggled and pointed to a door. He tipped his hat again and walked through. 

"What was so important that you had to pry me away from Terra?" he asked, the smile gone from his face, eyes, and voice.

Raven glared at the cowboy-wannabe and said "Squall needed a chance and he couldn't get it with your ass hovering around her. Once I get the results of my blood test, I'll be ready to talk to you. Or I can start now. Whichever you prefer."

He leaned against the wall. "I'm listening."

"Terra needs her space. You're smothering her. Squall will be able to take care of her for now. Take a vacation from her. Maybe that's why she won't eat. She feels like you're penning her in. she never liked touchy-feely type of person. She wants to be in control.

"I always knew that she would be a better leader than me because of that. I just wish now that I had given her that responsibility. Maybe… maybe Lunie wouldn't be dead." She looked down. "Maybe I killed her in a way. God, why am I being so open? Just forget that I said all of that, 'k?"

Before Irvine could say anything, Dr. Kadawaki walked in with a strange look on her face. Raven stood up to greet her. "Is there something wrong, Doctor?"

"Have there been any problems in your family with pregnancy?"

Raven's scowl deepened. "Yes, my mom had a lot of problems and my grandmother died giving birth to my dad. Why?"

"Well, why didn't you come see me? I could have helped you with this. No wonder you're so weak."

"Hold on. Why am I so weak? What's wrong?" Irvine had never seen her so upset.

The doctor looked at her, surprised. "You didn't know?" she asked. When Raven shook her head, she sighed.

"Raven, you're pregnant."

She simply looked at her blankly. How could she be pregnant? Then she remembered that night. Raven collapsed in uncontrollable sobs. Irvine and Dr. Kadawaki looked at each other, unsure of what they could do. In the end, they just left her alone.

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Please review!


	17. Chaos

Chapter 17 – Chaos

Zelda til Rednaxelos/Vamp Queen

     **_Zelda_**: Hey! The Squall kiss was _my_ part! What about Irvine? Wasn't he . . . ooohhh, _Vaaaaamp Queeeeeen_!

     Damn it.

     Anyway . . . here goes . . . time to undo the whole shit-bang.

                Vamp- What, I get no say? Oh, well… hey; this is the chapter that we work together. Have fun!

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Terra's P.O.V.

     _"No . . . no! Who are you, what are you?"_

_     "Welcome, little one. Do not be afraid."_

_     "Are you kidding me? Of course I'll be afraid, faced with Wonder Woman From Hell!"_

_     "You cannot escape this place, Terra Briar."_

_     "You . . . you know my name?"_

_     "I can give you power, Terra, power beyond your wildest dreams, if you will only allow me."_

_     "But you didn't answer my question. How do you know who I am, and why do you want me? Hey . . . hey! Come back! Why do you want me? Who are you?"_

_     "I . . . am . . . Aris . . ."_

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     "Aaaaahhhh!"

     "Whoa!"

     Squall was soon on the floor, rubbing his head and wincing, as I struggled to catch my breath.

     Wait . . . _Squall_?

     I jumped up off the ground, in complete shock, as I gaped at him. What in Hecate's name was that guy _doing_?

     "Hey . . ." Squall started, looking up at me. "Terra – you okay? What happened?"

     "_You_!" I glared at him, hardly able to contain my rage.

     "Uh, yeah, it's me. Geez, did you just wake up from a nightmare?"

     "No, apparently I'm still in it. That was just a recess!"

     "Terra, please, calm down," Squall said, standing up. "Now seriously, is something wrong?"

     "_What's wrong_?" I grabbed his shirt and pulled him close, fire blazing in my eyes as I looked into his. "I'll tell you what's wrong, Squall. I have secrets – everybody does. Some secrets are best left _uncovered_."

     "Look, slicing wrists and going on a hunger strike is dangerous –"

     "_Dangerous_!" I screeched, letting go of him, leaving him suspended in the air. A ball of lightning formed in my hands, which I soon sent straight towards him, sending him flying into the wall across the room. He cried out in pain as he slammed into the wall and slid to the floor.

     Looking up at me as I stalked towards him, he called out weakly, "Terra, are you insane?"

     "You want to know what's dangerous, Squall? Sticking your nose into _my_ business, sleeping with me in _my_ bed, all when I gave no consent is _dangerous, Squall_!"

     He stood and faced me, hair in his face, clothes a mess. His eyes were hurt, confused, and angry. All at me.

     "We're doing this because we love you, Terra!" he shouted.

     "We? Who's we?"

     "All of us! Selphie, Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Seifer, Raven –"

     "_Raven_! That self-righteous, upturned-nosed bitch! Since when in Hecate's fucking name does she give a damn about anyone but herself?"

     "Terra –"

     "Is it because she feels obligated to do it? Or does she just feel guilty that I'm going to die sooner or later and it'll be _all her fault_? Best friends, indeed – she is the biggest liar I've ever known!"

     "She loves you!" Squall shouted back. "We all love you – _I love you_!"

     "Love! Ha!" I turned away angrily and stormed to a corner in the far side of the room. "Raven loves no one but her own goddess damned self. And you? You love me only because I look like I might be good in bed!"

     "So you really think that I'm the kind of person who goes after looks?"

     "Men are pigs. Why else do they go after me? Is it because I'm smart, or have a great personality? _No_! No one evens looks at that! I'm _stupid and flighty_, an _overdramatic sap_, as Raven so tactfully put it. No, people love me for my body, not me!"

     "Stop it, Terra!" Squall replied, making his way towards me.

     But there was no way he'd turn me around before I did it first. I sensed him coming behind me, and I could no longer contain my rage.

     I balled up my fist, and just as he reached out to me, I turned around and swung at him. It hit him square across the cheek, and since it was a magic punch, it sent him flying once more.

     As he was getting up, I grabbed a vase on the nearby table and flung it at him. It missed him by inches, going past him and ending up shattered on the wall.

     "Hey!" Squall exclaimed. "What the hell was that for?"

     "_Get out_!" I screamed, taking a perfume bottle and flinging it towards him. He dodged again, and it too broke against the wall.

     "But –" he began to protest.

     "_Out_! This is _my_ bedchamber! Those cuts were on _my_ arms! It's _my choice whether I live or die_!"

     I was now throwing whatever I could get my hands on, as he rushed to the door. He got out, and before he left, he shouted back at me one last thing. "You can scream and shout all you want, you could deny whatever you wanted, you could kill me if you wanted, Terra – but I love you just the same, and I always will!"

     He quickly shut the door behind him.

     I stopped, staring at the door behind me.

     What had he just said?

     _I love you just the same, and I always will_.

     No – no! I had already been hurt too many times in my life – I would not let it happen yet again!

     "_Damn you, Squall_!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "_Damn you and everyone else in this goddess-forsaken realm_!_ To hell with all of you_!"

     Tears were flooding down my face once more, and I collapsed on the floor crying. The pain I had suffered, the battle raging within my soul, all of it . . .

     "_Yes, Terra, child. You are lost, and all alone – you know this, do you not?_"

     That voice . . . no, it couldn't be!

     I shot up and looked around, hoping that the voice, too, was part of what I was praying was a horrible nightmare. A chill went up my spine – the very same chill from the ballroom over three weeks ago.

     "W-who are you?" I asked, voice trembling and tiny.

     "_Who am I? You do not recognize me?_" The voice chuckled. "_Oh, my poor little child. You really are confused._"

     "I don't exactly know that," I said, getting up, trying to sound brave, "and I certainly don't know you. I won't ask again – _who are you_?"

     "_Oh, that stings me. You truly cannot recognize me? I am Aris, child._"

     I could scarcely let it run through my head, when suddenly –

     BOOM!

     The wall behind me blasted apart!

     "Aaaaahhhh!"

     The force of the blast sent me clear across the room. The wind was knocked out of my lungs as I hit the ground.

     As soon as I was able to recover, I scrambled up and looked around me. Fire engulfed the whole half of the room in front of me.

     I heard someone cackling nearby. I looked up through the wall, which had been clearly blasted away . . . and what I saw nearly caused me to scream.

     Huge black wings nearly covered what I could see of the midday sky. They supported a long, lean figure, clothed in scarlet and topped with long, flowing dark tresses.

     The woman looked into my frightened eyes, and though her gaze was a beautiful dark blue, they seemed to burn just as searing as the blaze surrounding me.

     "You're a madwoman!" I shot up at her.

     She merely crowed at that, replying, "_My, my! Are you always so harsh towards your visitors?_"

     "Only when they come uninvited!"

     "_Come now, I am not that bad. I merely wanted to get acquainted . . ._ child_!_"

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Raven's POV

I woke up on one of the hospital beds with a headache and a nagging feeling about the dream I had. Was this Aris really here? Is my world falling down around my ears? Was Squall ok? Or was it really a dream? Just a bad dream… if only. 

"I want to run!" I yelled at the ceiling. I knew that no one was there so I did my intercession then and there. "Mother Goddess, I want out! Get me out of here, please! Have I not served you faithfully? Please, I beg of you, take me out of here with Terra. We do not belong!" I was just beginning to see Hecate's ever-changing face as I continued to beg her. "Show us how to leave and be rid of these demons. Please… this world has brought us heartache and one of our number is dead. We've had to grow so fast. Terra should be getting ready for the prom, not getting ready to stop a ghost. Please, Mother, help us."

My goddess's motherly face smiled lovingly down at me. _"Dear child,"_ she said. _"You honestly love your sister."_ I could only nod. Her overwhelming presence had taken my voice and hid it far from me. 

"She's being taken over by that evil one. Her sister will be clothed in blue and in a disguise that you will know and yet not suspect. She is coming for you now. It is best that you quietly take care of her, and then work on bringing your sister back. I have faith in you, my child, the one who wears the two hardest of my faces."

"But, Mother," I cried, finally finding my voice, "How can we leave? Why can't you just take us out of here now? You have the power."

She shook her head, slipping from the mother to the child. _"You must remember the first of your lessons. 'Magic happens for a reason.' I want you here to take care of these two. Besides…" _She paused as she slipped to the face of the lover._ "Your love is here."_

I turned my face away, ashamed. "He does not love me, Mother Hecate. He never will."

_"Not necessarily. Remember, I am, but a prayer away." _A breeze blew and when I looked up, she was gone.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Third person perspective

The click of heels echoed down the hall. Many students glanced down to the source and were shocked. They could only look as the slender woman stalked past them. Her cold stare made most of them step back and the younger ones run off. Seifer heard one of the younger children crying as she ran down the hall. He looked at the girl as she ran into him, bounced onto the floor, and got up to run again.

_'Whoever she is, I like this girl already,'_ he thought and turned to the source of the echo. His jaw dropped just in time for her to kiss him.

After a long and very familiar kiss, he pulled away from her. "Rinoa?" he asked. 

Her blue eyes flashed and she giggled. "Yep, it's me. Did you miss me, Seifer? It's been so long since I was_ really_ with you. Over a year ago, if I remember." Her hands settled on his hips suggestively and she stepped closer. "You haven't forgotten, have you?" She gently kissed his ear and whispered, "Let's go relive that night."

She slipped her hand into his back pocket and pulled him off, not allowing him any time to protest. 

Although it wasn't like he would, given the chance.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Raven trudged down to the long deserted hallway. It was time to tell Seifer. She stopped at the entry for the library. 'Might as well take a look and see if there is a book I want,' she thought

She walked in and went straight to the science fiction. She nodded in approval at the authors such as Mercedes Lackey, Orson Scott Card, and Andre Norton. At least they had good taste in a video game world. A title caught her eye. It was The Many Faces of the Ancient Goddesses. She picked it up and looked at the back. 

_                'Many different cultures have deities such as gods or goddesses. This book shows simply the goddesses of all of these cultures. Step into a world of mystic legends and decide- do these people worship to something real or fake? If it is true, are these deities out of line or are they too lax? _

_'You decide.'_

"Perfect." 

She checked the book out and walked to his room with less weight in her step. Maybe… maybe he wouldn't mind. He would just leave her alone and when she went back home, he wouldn't want the child. And if it was a girl, then she would teach her about the wonders of the goddess.

She slipped into his room; after all, his door was slightly open.

She saw the blue duster and her blood froze. Rinoa was back. Raven saw the slight, black-haired body next to Seifer's sleeping form and she sat down.

Adel was Rinoa. How would she be able to kill her with Seifer, Squall, and several other guys following her? She pulled out her book and got settled. She would wait. 

She was patient.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

_Terra's P.O.V._

     "No! Stop!"

     "_Face it, Terra, you are alone now,_" Aris hissed as she threw fireballs in my direction. "_No one will save you. Raven despises you. Your male friends here are chasing after another. You will be continually miserable!_"

     "Leave me!" I shouted up at her, terrified and tired, tears of fright running down my cheeks. "What do you want with me?"

     To my surprise, Aris stopped throwing the fireballs and smiled down at me. "_I came to help you, Terra. I was going to make you an offer. I have power, child, power beyond your wildest dreams. I have the power to create, to destroy, and to take over whole worlds. I can give this power to anyone I choose . . . and I have chosen you._"

     I stopped. _Me_? But . . .

     "Why?" I asked.

     "_Because I see the trouble you have gone through. You come from a dysfunctional family. Your friends are turning their backs on you. You have never truly been loved. But now you can even the score with everyone who has ever wronged you. You have the power to get revenge._"

     Revenge . . .

     "There's a catch, isn't there?" I asked suspiciously. "Why are you making a deal like this to me?"

     "_You have great strength that you have not yet discovered, and you can acquire even more. I ask only one thing of you._"

     "And that is?"

     "_I ask that you come with me. I will teach you what your Mother Goddess has kept from you. I will give you everything you need, and you yourself will take everything you want. All you must do is join me._"

     "Join _you_?"

     "_Yes, Terra. I will take you as my own, and together, we can rule over the entire world. We will show our enemies who is boss. That Raven of yours, that arrogant fool, will cower before us in fear and shame. Your enemies, every last one of them, will die at our hands, and the rest of the land will be ours! Join me, Terra, and I will raise you up!_"

     "And what if I say no to you?" I challenged. "What if I don't want to hurt the ones I love – no matter what they feel for me in return?"

     Aris was no longer smiling down upon me. Her brow furrowed, and her mouth formed into a scowl. "_You . . . refuse me?_"

     "Yeah. I do."

     She tilted her head back and let out a wild scream, causing me to cover my ears. "_How dare you! I give you an opportunity anyone would die to have, and you push me away! Do you not know who I am?_"

     "I know exactly who you are," I snapped, "a raving madwoman!"

     "_You will pay for this!_" she screeched. "_I will make your life a living underworld! I will attack this place, and with my sister destroying it from the inside out, you all will take your last breath! You will watch the ones you love die bloody and painful deaths, and then you, too, shall perish!_"

     I crumpled to the ground. "Go away!" I sobbed in horror. "Leave me, please, I beg you!"

     Suddenly . . .

     The blazing heat around me was gone. The fire disappeared, the wall mended itself right before my eyes, and everything I had destroyed before was fixed. It was as if nothing had been disturbed; everything had gone . . . except Aris's shouting. I heard her scream one last promise: "_You will pay! _You will pay_!_"

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     I raced down the hallway, desperate to find someone, anyone, who would relieve me of the madness I had just witnessed. Squall . . . where was Squall? I had to find him, or maybe Irvine, or Zell – even Seifer would do.

     Where were they all?

     Soon, I was horrified to find my answer: a group of people were walking up towards me, laughing and chatting. All the guys were there . . . led by a woman in blue.

     Rinoa.

     I froze. What was _she_ doing here?

     She tossed her hair around and caught sight of me, eyes smiling. But I was horrified; something wasn't right about her, something was giving me a chill . . .

     Those eyes. If memory served me, her eyes were brown, not blue.

     They were Aris's eyes . . . was this her sister she was telling me about?

     No. Adel!

     She looked at me and smiled. "Hello," the slender girl greeted me. "Are you Terra?"

     "Are you Adel?"

     She looked at me, confused. "Adel? Huh?"

     "Come on, Terra," Irvine said, bringing me over to the group. "This is Rinoa. Glad you came out in time to meet her. With what Squall was telling us, we were getting' worried about you –"

     "Those eyes!" I exclaimed. "They can't be – no, it's Adel, I'm telling you!"

     "What about her eyes?" Seifer asked, looking into Rinoa's face, searching. "They . . ."

     A puzzled look came across his face, as Rinoa simply smiled sweetly. "Seifer?"

     "Wait . . ." Squall began, studying her. "Your eyes were never blue. They were chocolate brown."

     "Um . . . contacts?" Rinoa tried, breaking away. "Look, guys, I'm kinda hungry. Maybe we should go get something to eat –"

     "Why did you come back on such short notice, _Rinoa_?" I confronted her. "What do you need contact for? Aren't they a bit of a hassle? And wouldn't you be halfway across the continent right now, in Dueling City with your father?"

     "I'm getting uncomfortable here. Seriously, guys, who is this girl and why is she making such weird accusations?"

     As I ranted on, Squall and Irvine tried to pull me back, but I pressed on. "You are not who you claim to be! Where's your sister, Adel, and why are you two coming after _me_? Raven's here, too, you know!"

     "Stop it!" Rinoa cried. "You're crazy! Just go away!"

     But she wouldn't, not that easily. I finally broke away from Squall and Irvine and swung, catching Adel in the nose and knocking her to the ground.

     Everyone passing by in the hall stopped. Gasps were heard all around me, as I stared down at the sorceress.

     Adel looked up at me weakly, before whispering, "I . . . have failed. But if I go down . . . Terra . . . you will come with me."

     A ball of lightning formed in her hand. She shot her hand up at me as her body disappeared, and I had no time to duck. I was hit in the stomach, forcing me to the ground and causing me to stumble into darkness.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     "Sister, I have failed! The lover has destroyed my disguise, and now everyone there knows!" 

_     "Do not fret. I was not successful, either."_

_     "Well, if they will not join us, they will suffer! I have had it with these games, Aris! Let us attack them, now!"_

     "No! There is still a chance. We simply must try different methods . . . just wait, Adel. Do not be so impatient. Just wait, my sister."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

                Terra walked down the hall to her room. Seifer was there and she planned on killing him as soon as she got in. hell, she was mad enough to do so. She walked in and slammed the door behind her. Terra threw a fireball at said annoyance and thought nothing else of it.

                And was startled to hear him- or so she thought- simply stand from "his" chair.

                "Gee, did Aris really get you that mad?" Raven said, walking over to her partner. "I know that you're not possessed because of watching you kill Adel, but what's your excuse for trying to kill me?"

                "How about the fact that I hate you?" Terra snarled. "Why are you here? I thought it was Seifer."

                "In a way it is. But we're not going to go into it now. We need to start working like a team. There's someone out there that will have Luna's powers and we need to find her. And knowing our luck," Raven paused to turn to Terra. "She's probably already stronger than both of us. I know that we don't get along. But we used to work so well together. Can we call a truce? I'll do whatever is needed. Just give me a chance."

                Terra looked at her suspiciously. "Did the goddess put you up to this?"

                Raven shook her head. "I talked to her, yes, but she said nothing about this. I was trying to get both of us out of here and she said no. She wants us to defeat these two, though."

                "Well, I have a few questions for you then." 

"Shoot." Raven sat in a chair, waiting for the interrogation.

"Why did you disguise yourself as Seifer? It makes no sense. I hate him as much as you do." She sat in the chair opposite of her once friend and partner.

Raven smiled sadly. "I don't hate him though. I love him." Terra looked at her, shocked. "But he didn't know that until after he took advantage of me. And since you read my diary, you know how bad that hurt me."

Terra's eyes nearly bulged out of the sockets. "How did you know?!" 

Raven smiled wryly. "I found it in your room when I looked for it yesterday. I kinda guessed you read it."

"So, why did I feel Seifer?"

"You don't want to know."

"You're pregnant?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Raven smirked. "All the wonderfulness of me will cancel out the idiot of him."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"I know about your mom."

"How?"

"Vision."

"Oh…" Terra looked at her longtime partner and smiled. "Do you think that we can stand each other?"

Raven stoically looked at her and said, "of course not. I'll probably have killed you within a week. It's not like you could actually kill me."

Terra laughed and the two knew that they could get through anything.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

_"Blast it! Aris, look at this!" the ghost-like form floated to her counterpart._

_"What is it, sister?" she peered into the globe. "Is this true? They will get along?'_

_"Yes, it is. This next time, we attack the older. I want her power now!" the entire place shook as they watched Raven heal the scars on Terra's arms. When angered, Adel could do so much- she simply couldn't control that anger and she let it get the best of her._

_"Hush, sister. You're next. You're next." Aris cackled slightly as she thought of the things they could do once Raven was under their control._

_"Aris?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"Is Raven pregnant?"_

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

_Terra's P.O.V._     

"Stand each other, my ass!" I screamed as she left. "Who the hell does she think she is, trying to play nice girl after all she's done to me? She thinks she can atone _now_?"

And who was she? Not only to try to get me to forgive her, but for being as cocky as she always was with that remark about killing me within a week. She knew good and well that I could kill anybody I wanted to – including her. I was a first-class match for her, and she knew it, no matter how much she gloated. Arrogant bitch.

I knew that soon she would be causing me stress again. It was a good thing I was such a good actress, or I'd never get through this "truce".

I was determined to get through whatever she wanted, and then stay away from her. She was being a goody-two-shoes now, but only because Hecate wanted her to. After this she would be hellish to me once more. Well, Raven could heal all the physical scars on my body, but she could never heal the emotional ones. Never.

She didn't even bother to take the razor. It was still there, by the sink, waiting for me. Waiting to slice my wretched flesh apart, into a piece of art so twisted it was almost beautiful.

I sighed as I picked it up. Time to start all over again . . . but I didn't mind. Raven actually did me a service by giving me more room for my cuts.

And no matter how many times Hecate wanted Raven to take razors or knives away, I would always find something to release my sorrows with. Ingenuity had always been a gift of mine. I was determined to use it.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Raven's P.O.V.

Cutting herself _again_?

"Damn it! Why does she persist in doing this? Why?"

I clenched my fists as a picture played in my head of her sit on the floor in the bathroom, letting the blood trickle down her arms. After I had just so graciously healed the cuts for her?

"She never gives up, does she?" I crossed my arms and growled as I continued to watch her. "I should probably just let that ungrateful brat do what she wants. I should have known she wouldn't accept my truce so easily."

My hatred of her was beginning once again to boil up. Why was I denying it? Like a truce would chase away my feelings about her? We hated each other – no use trying to reject it now.

Once this mission was done, our loathing of each other was official again. Witches Three, so what? Just because we were partners didn't mean we had to be friends. We never were.

"Raven?"

I looked around to see Squall standing behind me. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing, just that Terra has decided not to pay attention to me once again, as she _always_ does. I try to make a truce, and she flat out refutes it once my back is turned. And now she's taking up the razor once again and slicing her arm to pieces."

He sighed sadly. "She's destroying herself."

"She's _been_ destroyed. A piece of rich trash since the beginning, if you ask me. Spoiled to the bone –"

Next thing I knew, the wind was knocked out of me faster than a speeding bullet as Squall grabbed me and pushed me against the wall.

He looked at me with fire in his eyes as I struggled to break free. "Geez, what the hell's your problem?"

"It's comments like yours that destroyed her, not the fact that she just happens to be better off than your jealous ass!" he shouted. "You and others like you wounded her day after day after day! And then you wonder why she's so damned depressed!"

"Let me go!" I cried.

He released his grip and watched me slide to the ground, his gaze still hard as steel. "I'm going over there to get her out before she wastes away. She won't come out of there otherwise. And I don't blame her, either, as long as it keeps her away from people like you. Unless you want to come with me – or do you have too many problems of your own to deal with?"

"Damn you. Help me up already and I'll come with you, you son of a bitch."

"You're a bitch, too. Join the club. At least I have a concept of what humility means."

He took my hand and helped me up, and we walked down the hall to Quistis's dorm. "We'd better round up the others, too," I said. "If I know Terra as well as I think I do, it'll take a lot of work to get her out."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

**_Zelda_**: Finally finished. God, this is why I can't stand joint chapters. Anyway, have fun reviewing. The next chapter is very sad . . . take a box of Kleenex with you, because it gets intense. Better get ready! Wait, no . . . sorry, too much _Outlaw Star_ for me. We'll try again . . . see you, space cowboys! No, that's from _Cowboy Bebop_ . . . damn it!

**_VAMP QUEEN:_** Oy, everyone in here seems to hate Raven. Hey, I thought the joint chapters were a joint idea! Oh, well. Next it's Zelly's turn. 

So review!**__**


	18. Love's Labor's Lost

Chapter 18 – Love's Labor's Lost

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Raven/Terra's P.O.V.

     Hi. This is really sad, the saddest point so far. If you've gotten attached to Terra, be prepared to cry a bit. By the way, Terra's song is copyrighted by me – don't even think about using it!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

_Raven's P.O.V._

     Seifer, Irvine, Zell, Quistis, and Selphie had joined Squall and I on our mission to get Terra out of the dorm. They all had worried looks on their faces; as for me, I just wanted to get this over with.

     We gathered outside the door, where we could hear her sobbing on the couch. Quistis was going to try first, gently knocking on the door. "Terra? Are you in there?"

     "What the hell do you want?" she replied.

     "I need to get into my dorm sometime, you know. Come on, open up – please?"

     "I'm staying right where I am! If you're on some sort of rescue mission, then forget it! I'm not coming out!"

     "Please, Terra, come out," Selphie tried. "Won't you get hungry or something?"

     "I'm fine. Leave me alone!"

     "But –"

     "It's not going to do any good, Selphie!" she retorted. "None of you are going to get me out. My life is in shambles, and nothing will fix it now!"

     "No, no one will fix it for you, Terra, not like you're accustomed to," I muttered under my breath. "It's no use –"

     "Shut the fuck up, Raven!" Squall and Seifer hissed in unison at me. Finally, something they could agree on.

     "I heard that, Raven!" Terra called.

     It was Irvine's turn, though his smooth talking would do no good. "Terra, sweetie," he said, "you're really going to stay in there until you waste away? You can't stay in there forever."

     "Yes, I can!"

     "But you have to at least eat somethin'! Come on, darlin', if I never saw your face again, I don't know what I'd do –"

     "Shut up, Irvine! You know exactly what you would do! You'd just move on to some other pretty face, like the goddess damned womanizer you are!"

     Irvine was clearly stung by what she had just called him. His eyes were filled with hurt as he stammered, "T-Terra . . . please, I . . ."

     He hung his head in shame as Squall came up and banged on the door. "Terra, we need you here! Don't you realize what you're doing to yourself? You'll die in there!"

     "Good!"

     Everyone was taken aback. They stopped for a moment, then said together, "_What_?"

     "She knows she'll die," I said quietly. "That's what she wants."

     "It's not like any of you care!" Terra cried. "I'm nothing but trouble. It's all my fault this all happened! It was _my_ idea to come here in the first place. It's _my_ fault Luna fell under that spell – I left her unattended for too long. It's my fault the sorceresses came here – they were attracted to _me_! It's my fault any of this happened, all my fault!"

     "Please, stop it!" Irvine pleaded, coming close to tears. "It's not your fault, none of it is! You're making _me_ cry now. Just stop blaming yourself, please!"

     "That's it, I'm sick of this," Zell said, going up and punching the door, in an attempt to break it down.

     "You won't be able to do anything," I told him. "It's sealed by magic; she isn't coming out."

     "_Just go away_!" Terra shouted. "I'm staying in here, and nothing will get me out, _nothing_! You won't miss me anyway – especially not you, Raven, never you!" She was sobbing hard now, as she continued, "Just go away. Please . . . go away . . ."

     Irvine just slowly walked off, murmuring, "Come on, guys. She'll never come out."

     Seifer sighed. "Just forget it," he said, going off.

     Soon the rest of us had no choice but to leave. Terra was determined to stay in there, never caring if she ended up drowning in her own blood.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     Passing by later on, I was surprised to find that Quistis's door was wide open. Terra had finally left?

     I didn't see Quistis in there, so I walked in. "Terra?" I called.

     No answer. "Terra, you here?"

     A piece of paper on the table caught my eye. It was Terra's writing.

     A song. Terra loved music. I read over the lyrics she had so carefully printed. No mistakes, beautiful handwriting. I love her songs. It was a lovely song, so lovingly yet despairingly written:

I've been waiting 

_Waiting for someone . . ._

_Constantly waiting_

_Praying for someone . . ._

_Who will come save me?_

_Somebody save me from me_

_They say that a hero will save us_

_But why must I stand here and wait?_

_I'm praying in vain that they'll save us_

_Staying til I die away_

_I know I'm nothing_

_Nothing to live for_

_I've lived for nothing_

_What should I live for?_

_Sorrow becomes me_

_Fading until I am free_

_They say that a hero will save us_

_But why must I stand here and wait?_

_I'm praying in vain that they'll save us_

_Staying til I die away_

_My hero has failed me_

_He'll never come save me_

_I can't wait much longer_

_I must be free . . ._

_They say that a hero will save us_

_But why must I stand here and wait?_

_I'm praying in vain that they'll save us_

_Staying til I die away . . ._

     _Can't wait much longer . . . is she . . . no!_

     So that's why she wasn't here – Terra was going to die!

     "No, Terra, no! You can't die, not now! Not like Luna did! I've already lost one partner, I can't lose another!"

     I got up and rushed out of the dorm, looking frantically for her as I raced around the Garden. By now the students were abuzz, whispering to each other. I could only catch little bits of what they were saying, but it was enough.

     "Did you hear? Terra finally came out . . ."

     "Out of the building . . ."

     "She looked really sad . . ."

     "I saw her! She's heading towards the cliffs!"

     Squall, Irvine, and Seifer soon saw me and ran with me outside the Garden. "She's at the cliffs by the bay!" Squall said. "I think she's planning to drown herself!"

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

_Terra's P.O.V._

     Finally here.

     Where I stood, I was a good twenty-five feet above the bay, where the waters lapped up against the cliff. I estimated the water to be about fifteen feet.

     Perfect. What an easy way to die.

     I was the modern-day Ophelia; no one loved her, so she drowned herself. The only difference was that no one would care I was dead.

     Suddenly –

     "Terra!"

     I turned to see four figures racing my way – Squall, Seifer, and Irvine. And, good goddess, Raven.

     They stopped about ten feet away from me, looks of horror on their faces.

     "Terra . . . why?" Squall asked.

     "Because I'm tired of this," I replied angrily. "I'm tired of my life, I'm tired of the people in it . . . and I'm especially tired of you, _Raven_."

     "You can't do this!" Raven cried. "Please, we've already been through one tragedy –"

     "And you didn't care much about that one, either," I snapped back at her. "It's just one partner after another for you. Don't worry; somebody will take my place, just as they have for years. And you'll have someone else to terrorize!"

     "Please, I beg you, try to see reason –" Irvine pleaded as he walked over.

     There was no way anyone would reach me. I sent a wave of energy to Irvine, knocking him all the way back to the group. He lay on the ground for a moment, stunned, before coming back up.

     "I'm tired of the pain I've been put through!" I sobbed. "All my life, my soul has been battered and broken, until I was close to death. Raven constantly put me down, making sure that if she wasn't happy, I wasn't happy. For nearly thirteen years I had to put up with an abusive mother, and even when she died, her family would give me grief. Now the sorceresses are making everyone's lives a living hell, and I'm to blame!"

     Raven walked slowly towards me, saying, "Look, Terra, I know I was terrible to you in the past, but I need you – we all do. We love you –"

     "Love! You have no concept of love, Raven. You're arrogant and cruel, and you know it! In your mind, you were the only real sorceress capable of anything. Luna and I were just tagalongs!"

     She stopped three feet away from me and said sadly, "I don't want to lose you. I care about you, Terra, I really do!"

     "You hate me and everyone else – save maybe for your precious Seifer. Oh, I forgot, he fucked your brains out while you were stoned, didn't he? Yeah, so now everybody in the world is terrible except you. You're the only victim; everyone is out to get you. Let's have a little pity party for Raven now, shall we? Never mind anybody else's problems! Raven has her own to deal with. So many that she doesn't have the time to screw with anybody else. So that means everybody else always starts the fights, everybody else picks on you, never the other way around!"

     Tears of blood were streaming down both of our ashen faces, the only shadows on our colorless cheeks. Raven could only stammer, "But –"

     "I guess I do owe you an apology, though," I said despondently. "I was never good enough – for any of you. I wasn't worth anything. I wasn't much of a girlfriend, I suppose, and from what Raven said about me, I wasn't much of a sorceress, either. Always getting everyone into trouble, always going over and screwing everything up . . . it was just like Raven said."

     "Terra, no!" Squall cried.

     "Please, Terra!" Raven begged.

     "And I was hurt," I continued, ignoring their pleas. "I guess I can't complain. I'm nothing, after all – just another partner, nothing more. But I did have feelings, you know. And they were hurt too many times for me to deal with."

     By now I was backing up against the edge of the cliff. I could hear the bay now, washing against the cliff.

     "Terra!" Squall shouted in desperation.

     "You and Luna were my best friends in all the world, Raven," I told her. "It crushed me to find out that I wasn't yours."

     Raven rushed towards me. "No!"

     But just as she reached the edge, I fell, down to the bay and into darkness's cold embrace.

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     Tell me what you think!


	19. Another Blow

Another Blow- Chapter 19

VAMP QUEEN

Random POV's

Yeah! We have so many chapters posted at once! Of course, it's probably because of the website being broken… oh, well. 

Thank you guys for all of your reviews. You've made it wonderful. If you ever have a question, suggestion, or comment, feel free to e-mail me or mention it in a review. For those of you to lazy to go back to my page, my e-mail is Blackdragon@gundamwing.org or BlackRoseRaven@gundamwing.org and just label it "Always Yours" or something like that. 

Oy, it's getting exceptionally obvious as to who is your fav character in the story. Some of you, like marsbar, say that they like Raven. However, there are also the other people, like my friend Ender, think that Raven just needs to keel over and die. Anyways…

Here we go!

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Raven's POV

I sat wearily, pulling the blanket tighter around myself. I was wet and had been for the past couple of hours. I was constantly told to go change, that others would watch but I didn't care. 

What is love? Did I really not know?

Did I cause her all of this grief? I know that we weren't the best of friends… ok, we weren't really friends. I hate her. And I care about her. I don't know what's going on.

I hadn't told Seifer about the child. I had chickened out just as he was waking up. This was too crazy. There was something wrong.

I wasn't waiting for just Terra. I was also waiting for the results of her blood tests. She wasn't right today. I could tell as I pulled her out of the water. 

The doctor came in with a look of pity on her face. I stood up, blank mask in place. She sighed. "Raven, is any other people here that are waiting for Terra?"

I frowned. "Yeah, Seifer and Squall are both here. Why?"

"I'll go get them."

"No need." I turned to see that they had heard Dr. Kadawaki and come in. "So what's wrong, Doctor?" Squall asked, seeing the look on her face. Both of the men wore their concerned feelings on their faces.

"The blood work came back normal, except for one thing. She has a bipolar disorder. Apparently, it was dormant until you came here. Had you not come, I don't know what might have happened. I'm sorry." The woman shook her head and left, knowing that she would not be able to comfort any one of them.

My eyes closed and a tear trickled down my cheek. That would hurt Terra. Her mom had been bipolar. She always said that she would never become anything like her mom and here she was, about to face the same thing that made her mother and family suffer. "It's my fault. I let her bring us here," I whispered. 

Before Seifer and Squall could say anything, I walked into Terra's room and leaned against the wall. I magically increased my hearing and listened to what they were saying.

"Do you think that's true?" Squall asked his companion. "What she said. That it was her fault."

I could almost hear Seifer shrug. "Probably. But who cares? You said yourself that she's a bitch. She doesn't matter." 

"Did you really take advantage of her?" 

Seifer laughed. "Strange change of topic. Why?" he asked. "You want some pointers?"

"No. I care about the women I sleep with. Unlike you, of course."

"Yeah, I did. So what? It's not like she remembers anything." 

"No, she doesn't. But she got the short end of the stick." There was a pause and he added, "No pun intended."

Seifer laughed. "Finally, some good humor. So why do you say that? So she got raped and I added to the bad memories. They'll leave as soon as their little 'goddess' lets them."

"She'll be taking your child."

Seifer stopped. I had heard him pacing earlier and now he was walking to the door. I quickly slid to the ground and faked being asleep. I guess it fooled him.

He knelt down and looked at my face. I could feel his eyes on me. Finally, he simply brushed the hair out of my face and whispered, "Take care of her for me." He left, saying to Squall, "Let's go. They'll take care of each other."

I wonder… did he mean me and Terra, or me and our daughter?

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Terra's POV

I groaned as I awoke. What idiot had turned the lights on so high? I waved my hand and they turned out.

That's better.

What the hell was Raven doing here? She was just sitting there, waiting for me to say something. I was determined not to.

She sighed. "Squall saved you after you jumped. Even if…" she paused, trying to put something into words. "Even if I don't care about you, they do. I hope you can see that. No," she said when I opened my mouth to say something, "Don't interrupt. I am a total bitch that cares only about myself. Everyone else cares about you. Even Seifer. Can't you see that?" She turned away from me and looked out the window. 

"Oh, so now you're going to mope and be all 'woe is me', aren't you?"

Raven turned back, eyes blazing. "No, I'm not. I'm just going to go. I'll be leaving and I'll leave you and your little lovers and friends all alone. I'm gone. The doctor will be in with the results soon."

She stalked out of the room and I just figured that I wasn't able to follow her.

Would I have?

I laid back. Doctor Kadawaki walked in and checked on me. "So, Terra," she began. "Have there been any abnormalities in your family, like cancer, diabetes, or mental illness?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm not saying anything, just-"

"What's wrong?!" I practically yelled it. 

She sighed. "You're bipolar."

I felt faint and everything got black.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Third Person Perspective

Raven walked out the Garden, brow furrowed in deep thought. The gate guard was about to stop her, because it was getting dark and he felt himself thrown into the back wall. 

She kept going. The forest was dark and confusing, but she didn't care. She just kept going. Just to get away. 

She had always enjoyed singing. One song came to mind and she couldn't stop herself.
    
    _I feel my wings have broken in your hands _
    
    _I feel the words unspoken inside _
    
    _And they pull you under _
    
    _And I would give you anything you want, but know_
    
    _You were all I wanted _
    
    _And all my dreams are falling down _
    
    _Crawling around and around _
    
    _Somebody save me _
    
    _Let your warm hands break right thru and _
    
    _Save me _
    
    _I don't care how you do it _
    
    _Just stay, stay _
    
    _Oh come on _
    
    _I've been waiting for you _
    
    _I see the world has folded in your heart _
    
    _I feel the waves crash down inside _
    
    _And they pulled me under _
    
    _I would give you anything you want, but know _
    
    _You were all I wanted _
    
    _And all my dreams have fallen down _
    
    _Crawling around, around _
    
    _Somebody save me _
    
    _Let your warm hands break right thru _
    
    _Somebody save me _
    
    _I don't care how you do it _
    
    _Just stay, stay _
    
    _Come on _
    
    _I've been waiting for you _
    
    _And all my dreams are on the ground _
    
    _Crawling around, around_
    
    _Somebody save me _
    
    _Let your warm hands break right thru _
    
    _Somebody save me _
    
    _I don't care how you do it _
    
    _Just save me _
    
    _I made this whole world shine for you _
    
    _Just stay, stay _
    
    _Oh come on _

I'm still waiting for you 

Raven found herself in a clearing. It reminded her of all of the faerie stories her mother would tell her when she was little. A clearing, surrounded by trees and filled with multicolored flowers seemed to contain the very moonlight itself. Beautiful sparkles floated down to her, lighting every petal a different color. 

She heard someone walking into the clearing across form her and she squinted, trying to see who it was. A low chuckle floated across to her. "Don't you recognize me, Birdy?"

Raven gasped as Seifer walked into her line of vision. He smiled at her and held out his hand. "Come here, Raven. I'll give you everything that you've ever dreamed. Just give me your hand." He smiled and Raven began to walk to him, to all the promises that he held in his hand.

_"No! Raven, don't do it! That's not him!" _

_'What's that voice? The goddess?'_ Raven thought as she took Seifer's hand. Seifer's face contorted and became female. As she listened to her goddess's scream, Raven felt herself loose control and fall out of control. _'Why didn't I listen?'_

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Thank you for reading, all you guys. The song is _Save Me_ by Remy Zero©

Please review!


	20. A Sorceress's Sorrow

Chapter 20 – A Sorceress's Sorrow

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Terra's P.O.V.

     We made it to chapter 20! Woo-hoo! Originally I didn't think it would be this long. But you guys love it so much, so . . . here we are. That's one-fifth of a hundred, you know.

     By the way, if you have questions, you can email either Vamp or me. Come on, don't be shy! I'm at cmholli@pacbell.net. Look me up in the author's directory if you'd rather IM me. I'll take whatever you want to fire at me, questions, comments, concerns, marriage proposals . . .

     Anyway – here we gooooooo!

     VAMP QUEEN- don't you just love her? Anyways… here's the conclusion to our little cliffhanger… oh, and Zelly's also on my list of favorite authors, K?

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     I woke up an hour later, feeling woozy and terrified.

     Bipolar disorder? How could this be? It couldn't be true, it just couldn't!

     Why didn't I see this coming? The sudden mood swings, the sorceresses, the suicidal state I'd been in for these past few weeks . . .

     "Just like . . ." I began to sob. "Just like . . . my mother . . ."

     I collapsed onto the bed in another round of tears. This wasn't real. It just couldn't possibly be real.

     "No . . . oh, Hecate, please . . . please don't let this happen. I . . . I swore to myself that I would never be like my mother . . . why, Hecate? Why did you do this to me?"

     No. I was in no way mentally ill. There had to have been a mistake. The results had to be wrong!

     Terror was overtaking me as I laid there in the quiet of the infirmary room. Surely Aris was coming after me, altering the results in some way, distorting everything. I was determined to be different from my mother. This couldn't be!

     I heard a knock on the door. "Terra? You awake?"

     Irvine. I sat up and straightened my hair, and replied, "Yeah, come in."

     Irvine slowly opened the door, and cautiously stepped in. He smiled when he saw me, and said, "You know, if you went outside right now, the moon would get jealous. You're looking so pale . . . and still beautiful as ever."

     I could only sigh and look away. "Thank you."

     He sat on the edge of my bed and stroked my face. "Come on, pretty lady, don't look so down. Won't you tell me what's wrong?"

     How could I tell him? How would I face anybody now?

     "I . . ." I stammered.

     He tilted my chin and looked into my eyes, searching for an answer. "Please, dove, tell me. Why are you so afraid?"

     I bit my lip to keep from crying another tear as I stared into his gentle eyes. "I . . . I'm bipolar. My mood swings, the cutting, the suicide attempt. Just like . . . just like _her_."

     "What do you mean? Just like who?"

     "My mother had the same thing. It's a bipolar disorder. It means –"

     "It means she has a problem controlling her moods," a voice chimed in. Doctor Kadawaki came in, followed by Seifer, Squall, Zell, Quistis, and Selphie. I was surprised to see Headmaster Cid, as well, whom I hadn't seen in weeks. Kadawaki smiled. "Sorry to interrupt. They were worried about you."

     "We heard everything," Cid said. "You're lucky to have friends who care about you so much, Miss Briar."

     "Now," Kadawaki continued, "we need to discuss your disorder a bit more, Terra. I would advise you to let the others stay, too. We all need to understand what this is."

     "So, what is a . . . dipolar bisorder, anyway?" Seifer asked, a bit confused.

     "That's _bi_polar _dis_order, idiot," Zell chided him. "Get it straight."

     "Anyway," Kadawaki said, clearing her throat to get everyone's attention. "A bipolar disorder occurs when the natural mood stabilizers in a person's brain are out of balance, causing the person to swing between two extremes for extended periods of time – depression being one phase, mania, the other. These phases can last for days, weeks, or even months at a time, and the intervals between are often uneven. The disorder itself isn't dangerous, but if it goes on without being treated with mood stabilizers, a person may sink into dangerous habits. Drugs and drinking is common, as well as frequent cutting. Eventually, some people may end up committing suicide."

     I didn't want to hear any of this. I wanted to believe that Kadawaki was describing someone else, some other patient she had treated in days long past. But it was me she was talking about, me she was unfolding this sorrowful story to.

     "So . . ." I said, "this means . . . this means I'm . . . mentally ill?"

     "Oh, no, not necessarily mentally ill," she reassured me. "Not at all. You are perfectly sane, and certainly able to function on your own. It's just very dangerous, and medication would help tremendously. It's not a disease necessarily, Terra. Fairly uncommon, yes, but you're still just like anyone else."

     "How fairly uncommon?" I asked, afraid that I wouldn't want to know.

     "One percent of the population."

     "_One_ percent?" I exclaimed. "That's almost nothing!"

     "But you aren't the only one here who has it. Other students here at the Garden are bipolar, as well."

     "How many?"

     "Three."

     "Out of . . .?"

     "Three hundred."

     I hung my head in misery and disgrace. I felt so alone, so isolated at that moment.

     "Would you like some time to yourself, Miss Briar?" Cid asked me.

     "Yeah. But Irvine was here before you guys came in. Let him stay."

     Everyone else got up and began to leave. Squall was the last to get to the door, and before he exited, he turned and looked at me with concern, sadness, and . . . longing. Our eyes met, and for a moment, everything else in the room disappeared . . .

     But then he was gone.

     I could feel a surge of emotion washing over me, like an ocean wave upon the sandy shores. There was something about him, something I wasn't sure I'd felt before. The sentiment was somewhat familiar, but I still couldn't identify it. What was this feeling?

     "Terra?"

     I was again brought back to reality as Irvine laid a hand on my shoulder. I hadn't noticed, but I was once again crying silent tears. Irvine took my face into his hands and wiped away the watery trails on my cheeks.

     He let me rest my forehead on his chest as I cried into his suede coat, speaking gently, as if he really thought he could ease my pain. "Go ahead, hon. Cry all you need to. I ain't gonna stop you."

     "How could this be?" I whispered, almost choking out the words. "How could this be?"

     "It wasn't your fault, Terra. It's not like you asked for it – no one does. It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. That's just . . . that's just how it happens."

     "But why? This thing could have hit anyone, and it happens to me. Why did Hecate let this happen?"

     "It's a random thing. Disorders don't care if you're a sorceress, if you're white, if you're gay, if you're an alcoholic. They don't care nothin' about it. It's like roulette. There wasn't a thing anyone could do to stop it." He took me by the shoulders and looked deeply into my eyes, and continued, "It won't be so bad. I've known bipolar people, and they were just fine. They weren't any different from anyone else. We just need to get you some medication."

     "But I don't want medication," I replied. "I hate having to depend on things like that. I don't want to have to feel like I need antidepressants to be happy. My mother was the only person I've ever known to have a disorder like this, and she turned out terribly."

     "And you don't want to be like her."

     "No."

     "Why?"

     I sighed. I didn't want to tell him, or anyone, about my past. I always avoided this question. But I couldn't now.

     "Because she didn't care about me," I told him. "She didn't care about anyone. And nobody else has ever really cared about me, either."

     He put his arms around me, gently petting my damp hair, which still clung to my back. I returned the embrace; he only pulled back slightly a second later, not out of repulsiveness, but affection.

     "_I_ care about you," Irvine said tenderly. "No matter what anyone else may think."

     He closed in again, this time nuzzling my neck more gently than anything else I'd ever felt. A soft kiss was placed there, followed by another, and another.

     Somehow, though, I felt that this wasn't quite right. It was a wonderful sensation, but . . . my mind wasn't there with him. But if not with Irvine, then where?

     "I'm sorry," I said to him, as I stood and walked around the hospital bed to the window. "I can't."

     He watched me as I went, and asked, "It's Squall, isn't it?"

     I stopped. Was it Squall? Was it him I had been longing for all this time? And why didn't I see it before?

     _I love you just the same, and I always will._

     Turning to face Irvine, I sighed and replied, "Yeah. It is."

     "You're in love with him."

     "Mmm-hmm."

     "Why didn't you say so before?"

     "Well . . . I guess I didn't know it, at first." I gave him a faint smile. "Besides, half the time you had me too wrapped up in your coat for me to tell."

     "But you know what you want now, don't you?" Irvine asked.

     "I don't know. I imagine I figured it out somewhat, but I didn't want to tell you because I thought it would hurt you. I didn't want to cause anyone any heartbreak."

     "Aw, my heart isn't broken," Irvine said with a grin. "If it'll make you happy, then I'm happy. I ain't the type to get jealous of other guys – unlike certain other men."

     "You mean Squall?" I asked him.

     "Everybody could see it from day one," he responded with a laugh. "He was turning green as a cactus every time I spoke to you."

     "Because you were flirting with me."

     "You flirted right back."

     "You started it."

     He tipped his hat up boastfully. "Yep, I guess I did." Irvine stood and crossed the room to where I stood, and took me by the shoulders. "You need to let him know."

     I bit my lip nervously. "I'm not sure . . ."

     "Why not? He's obviously got it bad for you. It ain't like he would laugh in your face. Come on, Terra, he'll jump through the roof when he finds out."

     "_If_ he finds out."

     "He'll know one way or the other, 'cause if you don't tell him, I will." When I shook my head, he continued, "Come on, you've got to. Squall is in love with you, Terra. He's dying for you, you're dying for him . . ."

     "Okay, fine," I said. "I'll tell him . . . somehow. But on _my_ time, got it?"

     "That's all I ask."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     About two hours later, I decided to take a walk in the gardens. It was getting late, around nine, and most of the students were preparing for bed. I, however, would never be able to sleep, not tonight.

     _You're bipolar._

     Doctor Kadawaki's words still rang in my ears. I despised myself with all my heart at that moment. I was indeed becoming like my mother, a pit I had so desperately tried to avoid. She had been a complete wretch . . . and now I was, too.

     I reached the lonely fountain and looked in, staring hard at my reflection. There I was, a terrible disgrace to my family, to the Garden, to Hecate herself. I looked deeply into my own eyes, and I saw not a great sorceress, nor a beautiful maiden, but a miserable outcast, lost and forsaken.

     There was a long silence as my mind's eye looked out across the canyon between myself and everyone I loved, carved by my hands. I felt so far away from everyone, so different. I was on the outskirts, while everyone else seemed to be content and confident.

     I was alone. So alone.

     Suddenly –

     "They let you go?"

     Squall joined me at the fountain and began to gaze into the waters with me, searching for something . . . was he searching for me?

     "It's kind of late, don't you think?" he asked.

     "Yeah. What's your excuse?"

     "I couldn't sleep."

     "Same here."

     There was an awkward pause, since both of us were afraid to approach what was on our minds.

     Squall finally decided to say something about it, but carefully as possible. "Do you think you'll be alright? After . . . well, you know."

     I smiled sadly. "I guess so. I have Irvine and the others to protect me."

     "He told me about your mom."

     "What did he say?"

     "Something about her not caring about anyone but herself. Sound like anyone else you know?"

     I couldn't help but laugh at that. "It seems like those people are the most common in my circle."

     "You really like Irvine, don't you?"

     "Well . . . he's a great friend," I responded. "Makes a nice pillow sometimes. And funny. Very funny."

     "Handsome?"

     "Yeah, he's cute. But I guess I just don't feel for him the way I do . . . other people."

     This piqued his interest. "Really?" he inquired.

     "I like having him around. He comforts me. Like I deserve it."

     "What makes you say that?" Squall asked.

     "Okay, I'm sorry. It's just that I've never felt like anyone really loved me."

     "You have plenty of people here who do," he said.

     "Don't get me wrong," I replied. "I had friends; good friends. It's just that I have problems with getting close to anyone. Whenever I try, it just blows up in my face."

     "Did your mother do that to you?"

     "Yeah. I wanted so badly for her to approve of me. But she never did. She had this way of looking at me, like she didn't like what I was doing, but she wasn't going to tell me. Everything I did was put in a negative light just by her being around. She had a way of doing that."

     "At least you had a mother," Squall remarked sadly. "I never knew my parents."

     "She was verbally abusive when she was upset," I continued. "When she wasn't screaming at me, she would find subtle ways to insult me. She said I was lazy, immature, selfish . . . she was certainly one to talk about such things," I commented contemptuously.

     "She sounds like a real monster."

     "Precisely. Somehow, everything that went wrong in her life was my fault. When she divorced my dad, she decided it was my fault the marriage didn't work out, though she was only around for his money, anyway. That's how she was with the two marriages she had before that – took them, screwed them for all they were worth, then left and blamed it on somebody else. When her boyfriend left her, it was my fault, never mind the fact that she was the one who stupidly left her emails up on the computer when I went to disconnect her from the Internet. I mean, come on, I was ten years old. Naturally I'm going to be curious about what's up there, right?" I sighed. "Anyway. She considered me her trophy. Only kept me around so that everyone would think she was such a wonderful mother. It was the only reason why she did things for me – so that I would keep my mouth shut. Once everybody was gone, I was just a clod of dirt to her. It was my fault everything was so wrong."

     "I'm sorry," Squall said.

     "So I tried to leave," I went on. "I'd had it. I was just going to leave her to screw around with all the guys she wanted, to make other people's lives a living hell, to trash up her life. But she wouldn't have it. She somehow was able to keep her trophy . . . until she died." I wasn't about to mention that part. "After that, everything slowly fell apart. I became part of the Witches Three. Not out of my own will – I was chosen. My friendships were close, but I still was very afraid of everyone. I didn't want to get hurt, but I was constantly getting hurt by everyone around me. Boyfriends offered some relief, but they only burned out a year later. And I'm not one of those girls that have had a million boyfriends, mind you; only three since the eighth grade."

     "I see."

     "Luna was the closest friend I had, until she died, as well. And we all know that Raven didn't give a damn about anyone. I thought she was my friend . . . but I guess I was wrong."

     Squall had been very silent until now. He then quietly asked, "You're still cutting yourself, aren't you?"

     I sighed. Raven must have found out and told him. No use trying to hide it now.

     I rolled up my sleeves to reveal forty-six perfect marks on each arm, the remnants of my twisted daily ritual.

     He gently held my arm in his hands, tracing a finger over the cuts, a look of pain and dismay in his eyes. He looked up at me, and asked, "Why?"

     "Because I was ashamed," I answered. "Ashamed of myself, what I had become. I hated myself . . . and I still do."

     Sitting on the edge of the fountain, I looked down at the floor and shivered, cold from staying out for so long. Squall sat beside me and put an arm around me, to shield me from the bitter drafts.

     It was then that the realization came in full force: I was truly, deeply in love with him. To deny it now was ridiculous. I had been yearning for his warm embrace for so long . . . and here it was.

     "We all love you, Terra," Squall told me. "Quistis and Selphie have been all over the Garden worrying about you. Zell likes you a lot, and Irvine has been hanging all over you. Even Seifer is concerned. You've become like family to all of us."

     "And what about you?" I asked.

     "You know how I feel." Pulling back to look into my eyes, he said, "I knew that I loved you from the moment I saw you. I've been so worried, especially since the cutting and the suicide attempt . . . because I wanted you to know that any day I would be willing to die in your place."

     "Then why didn't you tell me before?"

     "I was scared, Terra. Rinoa . . . well, Adel disguised as Rinoa . . . she frightened me when she came. Rinoa was the one who taught me what it was like to love and lose. I was afraid that you would do the same." He gently brushed my hair out of my face and continued, "But now I can see that you're not like that. I can't keep brushing my feelings aside. I just don't want you to be hurt . . . if you will only let me help you."

     I hadn't noticed, but we had unconsciously gotten closer to each other, until our faces were only inches apart. I didn't care, though. It was time that I had stopped hiding, as well. Squall had finally let down his guard, opening up his heart and pouring out everything within. He had given his soul to me, something I had wanted for such a long time. If only I had realized it sooner.

     Before I could really grasp what was happening, our lips met, and suddenly, everything around us was gone. Our own world had been created within that kiss, a world where pain did not exist, where our newfound love was all that mattered. And right now, this love was all that mattered to me. Finally he was holding me in his arms, finally we did not have to keep anything back . . . and finally I felt like I was truly loved by someone.

     We broke away from each other, and I could only say, "I . . . I love you."

     "You honestly do?"

     "More than anything. I've finally found something worth living for . . . someone worth living for."

     I rested my head on his shoulder, and suddenly, a strange sense of peace came over me. Maybe this disorder wouldn't be so bad, after all. For a moment, the threat of the sorceresses seemed to disappear. Squall was here, with me. That was all that mattered.

     "I truly do love you, Squall. And as long as you're here, I will be always yours."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     So sad . . . and yet, so hopeful. Tell me what you think!

VAMP QUEEN- Ok, so I lied. You don't get to find out just yet. That's the next chapter. But how did you like this bit of fluff?


	21. Breaking Point

Chapter 21- Breaking Point

VAMP QUEEN

Third Person Perspective

Anyhoo, what's up, people? Hey, thanks for staying tuned so far through everything. Hey, I wanted to mention that if you like this story and Final Fantasy 7, then hopefully you'll like the story that myself and marsbar15 have been writing together. It's called "My Dear Puppet" and it's a lot like this. Anyways… 

Tehe! Bisho'nen on the rampage! I'm addicted, how 'bout you? Check it out at PocketBisho'nen.com ok? Just click the little hyperlink, yes, that's a good person. 

What, you're still here? Oh, you're going back later… ok, well, read on!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Third Person Perspective

Raven awoke with a pounding headache and the feeling of being bound. She struggled against her bonds and felt the pain sear through her head. What had happened? Oh, yeah, she was captured.

She gently slumped against the wall behind her and allowed for her eyes to get used to the dim lighting. She was in a cave of some sort. It was cold, damp, and smelled horrible. Perfect for a rat like her.

She felt the air around her change as the two sisters entered her cell. "_Ah, she's awake,_" the brunette one said. Vaguely, Raven remembered that this one was Aris. "_Finally we can talk some sense into you, my child. Why won't you let us into your pretty little head?_"

Without hesitation, Raven snapped back, "Because Dante' and Fredrick are in there and it's crowded enough already."

To her dismay, the two chuckled. The older blonde, Adel, turned to her shorter sister and said, "_It seems like this one has a unique sense of humor, don't you agree?_"

Aris smiled. "_Ah, yes, but she won't be laughing when we're done with her._" 

The black haired girl's eyes widened as the two joined hands and began their magical torture that drove Raven to the breaking point.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Three days later, once she was released from the med center, Terra was called to the headmaster's office. "Yes, Headmaster Cid?" she asked, stepping in and shutting the door. The old man wore a grave expression on his face and motioned for her to take a seat. 

"A lot of things have happened since you came here," he began, once she was seated comfortably. "And I am afraid that I bear only the latest of it. Raven is missing and we have reason to believe that she was taken forcefully. There was a break-in three days ago, by a dark haired young woman who threw the security guard into a wall. Raven's weapon was left and so were all of her belongings." 

"Now," he continued, getting up and pacing. "We normally wouldn't have said anything, seeing as though she seemed rather disturbed by everything and she wasn't getting along with people. In fact, we, meaning my wife and I, actually expected one of you to leave at one point or another, since you weren't getting along with each other. But, with the break-ins and everything, we have to watch you closer as each day goes by. It's plain that these sorceresses want you for your powers and bodies. Is there any way that you would be willing to try to help us find her? A scan or something? If you don't want to, it's understandable, but you must realize that if they do succeed in controlling her, it will be easier to get to you." He stopped and looked at her.

Terra was sitting with her hands in her lap, fighting a mental battle with her problems that just seemed to not stop piling up. She wasn't sure if she could trust Raven. _Damn her!_ She couldn't believe that she was that stupid, to get herself captured. 

She sighed and gave her consent. "I'll try to contact her tonight. Goodnight, Headmaster." Terra got up, turned, and walked away, cursing her partner and former best friend.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Raven hung from the ring in the wall, her arms up behind her. The pain was dulling finally and each blow hurt less and less. She smiled grimly. Was it her life slipping from her, or just her consciousness? 

She heard one of the sisters float in. It was strange. They didn't touch the ground, yet she heard every step that they took echo in her head. Her eyes had swollen shut from the torture so she couldn't tell which one it was. Though, in all honesty, it didn't matter. 

"_Are you ready to give yourself up, Raven? Or shall we have to kill your daughter, too? What will it be?_"

Though she knew it would cost her, she gathered energy and voice and said, "If I give my body to you, I sacrifice my free will. If I sacrifice my free will, I give up my heart. If I give my heart to you, it will be always yours. It's all or none." She lifted her head defiantly and said, "It's all or none. And I gave my heart to someone already."

The witch cackled and said, "_We shall see._" Raven felt her leave the room and she fell to her knees yet again.

A familiar mental touch brought her out of her haze. She smiled serenely and whispered, "Soon it will be over." She sank into her trance and seemed to be blacked out.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

"Raven? Raven, are you there? Oh, come on, you idiot, say something!" 

_"It's so good to hear you. I need your help."_

_"Where are you? Shit, everyone's all wondering where you are."_

_". . . thought so. No one's worried right?" _Raven's "voice" sounded almost hopeful.__

_"Well, no, I guess. Listen, where are you? We can't let those bitches get you."_

_"Too late."_

"Huh? What are you talking about? You don't mean . . . ?" 

_"Yeah, they got me. I was going to just leave since suicide seems not an option for us. Besides, I wouldn't want anyone saying that I copied you." _Her thoughts were their normal sarcastic tone, if only for a minute. 

_"So where are you? We need to get you."_

_"No."_

_"No what? No, you don't know or what?"_

_"No, you don't need to save me. Look, just do me two things."_

_"What?"_

_"Promise first."_

_"What is it?"_

"PROMISE!" 

_". . . fine. Now, what is it?"_

_"First, tell Seifer that I'm sorry, that I wasn't able to protect her. And second . . ." _there, Raven hesitated.

_"What? And then what?" _Terra, however, had a feeling that she knew.__

_"Then kill me."_

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

**_Vamp_**: Okay, there you go. That's where the quote from the summary comes from. Zelda, do you have anything to say?

**_Zelda_**: Oh, um, to those that are looking for the second Always Yours to be updated, I'm working on that! It takes a while for everything to get together – we weren't exactly prepared. So anyway, on to the next one!


	22. Sacrifice

Chapter 22 – Sacrifice

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Terra's P.O.V.

Oh, Vamp Queen here… I'm so sorry about earlier, with the format. I just had it saved wrong and because of that, all the words kind of grouped together. Thanks for your patience and thank you marsbar15 and DreamShadow for saying something in the review. Otherwise, I would have never known. If you see something wrong, don't hesitate to say something in a review or an email. Thank you all! 

     So much to worry about . . . is rehearsal going to be okay tomorrow? Is Ophelia upset that I didn't write to her? Is he going to notice me? So much, so much!

     Um . . . anyway.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Terra's P.O.V.

     _"Okay, you're kidding, right?"_ She wasn't going to just let somebody kill her without a fight. Not Raven.

     _"No,"_ Raven replied grimly. _"I want you to kill me."_

_     "But . . . Raven, I can't!" _I cried._ "I can't let you do this! I won't!"_

_     "Why not? You hate me, Terra. Deep down, I know you do. Why not get rid of me when you have this perfect opportunity?"_

_     "Don't try to talk me into it! I won't just murder you like that. You have a baby inside you! A living baby, developing even as we speak. To kill you would be to kill the child!"_

_     "And you think _I_ didn't try to get rid of it? I tried to do it already. I tried all sorts of spells and incantations, I took herbs, I even took the pill. Nothing worked."_

_     "Because Hecate wants the baby to live. She wants you to give birth to it."_

_     "And expose it to a world filled with pain and suffering?" _Raven's tone was cold, as usual, but I could feel something else, something like desperation._ "I can't do that, Terra. If the world chewed me up and spit me out, do you honestly think it'll want my offspring? Of course not. Don't you get it?"_

     "What I don't get is why you have to be so selfish! You didn't try to abort the baby because of the world, you did it because you wanted the pain of it all to go away, just like you're doing now! You're asking me to kill you because you can't take the torture anymore, and you're not even giving the child a chance!"

_     "I wanted to –"_

     "No, you didn't! That baby could have a wonderful life, growing in the Mother Hecate's ways and becoming a great sorceress. But you didn't think about that, did you? No, all you want is for the pain to go away!"

_     "_Stop it, Terra_!" _Raven shouted. I could feel the anger and extreme anxiety in her voice, and it sent chills down my spine. _"If they hated me, they'll hate my child. And I just – _aaaahhh_!"_ Pain shot through her as she tried to speak again. With all her might, she cried, _"Just say a quick spell. Do it. I caused you so much pain . . . and it'll be over. Please, I beg you, get your vengeance!"_

_     "It's not about my personal feelings for you, Raven. You're still my enemy. I think you're a bitch just as much as the next person. I just can't believe you're being so selfish – though it really isn't out of character for you. I was a fool to believe you had the capacity to care about your own baby, much less anyone else but your miserable self."_

     "You already promised me –"_ Raven began, but I wouldn't hear any word of it._

     "Forget my promise! No telling Seifer anything, and certainly no death for you. I'm beginning to think that maybe you deserve the torture – it suits you well. Cid was going to send a rescue party, but I guess now I can tell him that he won't be needing to, since you don't want it. As for death, you would die either way. I'll leave it to the sorceresses to take care of you, and then may Hecate deal with you, be it ever so severely, for the misery you caused."

     With that, I closed the line of communication, despite and maybe because of Raven's screams.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     Later on, I decided to take a walk around, to get my mind off a few things. Like Raven, for instance, and the fact that she was being such a bitch even while staring death in the face. Just like her. Even so, though, I couldn't stop thinking about her.

     It was unexpected, at first, for her to chicken out on life like that, but then I realized it was all a part of her selfish nature to do such a thing. And while she was with child, too.

     Despicable. Just despicable.

     She misjudged me. I was definitely not stupid enough to let my personal feelings get in the way of things. I hated Raven, sure, but why take that out on her child? It was wrong, and she knew it. But she didn't care. She just wanted to be rid of the pain she was going through. Maybe death by torture was the best thing for her.

     It was funny, almost; even while close to dying, she was preoccupied with feeling sorry for herself and bringing others into the murky waters of her self-pity. "Oh, the world didn't like me, so they won't want my daughter, and this and that . . ." Bullshit. A complete load of bullshit. _Someone bring a shovel_.

     Well, no amount of crying, no amount of pleading would bring me to murder. Then I would be falling into her trap – she escapes the pain of this life, while I would have Hecate on my case for killing in cold blood. She would win twice. That would be her revenge, and I wasn't about to satisfy that. Did she take me for a fool?

     All the pride, all the selfishness, all the hostility she had before was getting paid back to her in full. Back home, she was constantly complaining how "idiotic and selfish and bitchy and terrible" Rinoa supposedly was, while being all those things and more herself. Didn't she get what was happening to her?  She deserved everything she was getting . . .

     And yet, something told me that maybe . . . maybe she didn't. I could feel Hecate pulling gently at my heartstrings, playing them like a harp. And I had to wonder: was it Raven's fault, really, that she was the way she was? After all, her family life hadn't been so great. Her mother died, and the guys never did pay attention to her. And then there was the whole Zach incident.

     But that was no excuse to be acting the way she always did. She needed to get over herself, pretending that she was the only one with problems. At least she wasn't going to have to swallow four pills every night for the rest of her life, and a fifth if she wanted a decent night's rest. She didn't have an abusive mother, or a hectic businessman for a father. She accused me of needing a reality check, since everything was always so "easy" for me. Hadn't she ever heard that money can't buy happiness? My mother was in the whole thing for the money; I was just an accident that came along. Raven's parents loved and wanted her, and to top it all off, they were still together, too, at least up until her mother's death. She had this perfect little family – like I _used_ to have. Meanwhile, I had gone through my entire life feeling like a mere trophy to be passed around from person to person. No one really wanted me, and it wasn't until Squall that I actually felt truly loved. Not only that, but friendships constantly fell apart; I had so many, yet none that I could really be close in. She, on the other hand, had at least a few close friends that were stupid enough to let her walk all over them for a long time. She was able to delude them into believing she cared about them, and even when she alienated them, she made them stay. And guys? I became nothing more than a prize to be won. Raven, on the other hand, had a couple of boyfriends who really cared about her, with the exception of Zach. Not that it mattered, since she ended up ripping out their hearts through their throats anyway. It was weird, then, when she got possessive of them when someone else started dating them, because then she would do everything she could to break up the relationship. She had this weird notion that if she couldn't be happy, no one could be.

     So there it was. This wasn't a video game, this was reality. Raven knew nothing about reality. She had the ability to make things better for herself, no matter how much she denied it, and I didn't. Now life was coming back around and slapping her in the face, and she deserved every bit of it. Now she didn't have me or Luna or a knight to hide behind, and she couldn't go crying to her folks. No one was around to protect her from the storms coming her way.

     But still . . .

     I could hear Hecate whispering in my ear. "_My child, my precious child, why do you hate your sister so?_"

     "You know why, Mother Goddess," I replied. "She deserves what she's getting."

     "_Maybe she does. Still, I want her to live._"

     "Live?" I asked. "Why? It's clear that she would rather give up on everything than try to make things better for herself. If I went and saved her, she would be just as miserable to herself and others. And even if I did, even if I decided it was best to go and get her out, I couldn't defeat the sorceresses. They are so much more powerful than I."

     "_But I am the mother of sorceresses. I can give power and strength to you, if you only trust me._"

     "Even then, why should I go? Why should I risk my neck to save Raven? She wanted death, and that's what she's getting."

     "_And what of the child? That baby is mine, and I want her spared. She has such power flowing in her tiny veins. What a loss it would be to let that go to waste._" I just looked away as she continued. "_I can see how much you care for that child, if not for your sister. Therefore, I urge you to go._"

     I thought about this for a moment. Hecate was right; the baby needed me. And the sorceresses were about to conquer the realm.

     "_If you do not, the wicked sorceresses will take over and defile the world with their presence. You will never be safe then. Please, Terra – if only for the child._"

     I sighed. I had to go. The baby's fate – and that of the world – was in my hands.

     "Alright, Mother Goddess," I said. "I'll go."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     "You're _what_?"

     I just nodded as Cid looked at me in disbelief.

     "You heard me, Headmaster," I said firmly. "I'm going to go rescue Raven."

     "But . . . but I thought you said she didn't want it! And the sorceresses – Terra, it's too dangerous!"

     "You beat Adel before," I reminded him. "You can do it again."

     "That was when she was operating largely by herself," Cid corrected me. "Now she has her sister with her. The two combined are quite a force to be reckoned with –"

     "And so am I," I interrupted. "As long as I have a knight with me, I can't be easily destroyed, no matter who I'm up against."

     Cid sighed at this. "That is true," he acknowledged. "Knights do have a large impact."

     "Therefore, I need to assemble a team of fighters, with one of them as my knight."

     "Well . . ." He could only shake his head and say, "Who do you want?"

     "Squall, Irvine, Seifer, Zell, Quistis, and Selphie."

     "Alright. Xu, send them in."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     "Alright, listen up!" Cid said as we all assembled in his office. I stood beside him and his wife, Edea, as he proceeded to go over the details of the assignment. "We have learned that Raven is being held captive over in a cave in the nearby mountains. You are all familiar with the sorceress Adel? Turns out she has a sister by the name of Aris. Now, Raven has been there for days now, and my wife tells me that she cannot hold on much longer. That is why I am sending you six along with Terra to find and destroy these sorceresses, for they are on the brink of conquest."

     "Us?" Zell asked. "Why us?"

     "Because I trust you," Cid replied. "I know you are more than capable of defeating them. Ultimecia wasn't too hard –"

     "Headmaster, do you have any idea how hard that was?" Quistis inquired. "And she was only one sorceress. Two of them together . . . I don't know. Are you sure about this?"

     "And I thought we had all decided that we hated Raven, anyway," Seifer continued, leaning against a wall. "We sheltered her, we loved her, and she swatted us away like flies. Why should we die for her now? We gave her love, love she would just shrug off. This is the price she pays. Leave her there. Then Terra can have her life back – as if she never loved her at all."

     "Unfortunately, Seifer, that is not an option," Cid replied. "If we just sit by and do nothing, Aris and Adel will soon be strong enough to take over the world. All they need to do is to steal Raven's power from her, and they will have all they need to wreak havoc over our realm – including everything and everyone in it."

     "This isn't about our opinion of her, guys," I spoke up. "As SeeD soldiers, it's your duty to protect the realm at all costs, no matter what. Not only that . . . but Raven is pregnant."

     This came as a shock to some of them. "She's what?" Selphie asked in disbelief.

     "Yes. Seifer and Squall already knew, but since the rest of you don't seem to have any other incentive to get moving . . ."

     Everyone immediately turned to Seifer. "You did that, didn't you?" Quistis demanded.

     "I was that upset at her, yeah," Seifer replied unsympathetically. "She proved just how small her heart was back when Luna died –"

     "And you just proved that your heart was just as small," Irvine said to him. "I don't like her much, either, but to violate her like that is just sick."

     "Come on, guys, quit acting so surprised," Zell said. "That's just like Seifer, to get women drunk and screw them for all they're –"

     "You need to shut your trap, Chicken Wuss!" Seifer shouted.

     "_What_ did you call me?"

     "That's _enough_!" Cid bellowed, loud enough to get everyone to keep quiet. Once everyone had shut up, he continued, "This is no time to be getting on everyone's case. We have a realm to save! Now, are you going or not?"

     There was a silence as everyone thought about this. After a long while, Quistis spoke up. "We have to," she said. "What choice do we have?"

     "We save our own lives by saving Raven's," Squall pointed out.

     "And let her plague the world with her presence?" Seifer asked.

     "If we don't defeat Adel and Aris, there won't _be_ a world for her to plague," Irvine replied.

     "Then it's decided," Selphie piped up. "We're all going – like it or not." This was said with a dirty look towards Seifer.

     "So when do we go?" Zell asked. "I'm getting ready to kick some magic ass –"

     "Wait just a moment!" I interrupted him. "There's one more thing. I need a knight."

     Seifer just sighed. "Oh, great. Not this deal again."

     "We'll never be able to defeat them without a knight," I told him. "It's largely my deal, and I'll get killed off before the fight even starts if I don't have protection."

     "I'll do it!" Irvine exclaimed. "I'll be Terra's knight. I can do it – I've got experience with the sword, you know, and . . ." He stopped when he met Squall's hard gaze. The look made him submit. "Oh, yeah. Sorry 'bout that."

     "Sorry, but it only works when the person is someone you have already given your heart and soul to," I told him. "And we all know who that is."

     With that, everyone's eyes turned to Squall, whose stony face softened when he looked into mine. I walked towards him slowly, chanting the lovely spell that would soon make him eternally mine.

     "Air from the moonlit sky, waters of the endless sea, every creature turn their gaze here upon my love and me. With this verse I call to you, binding us for all time; now my life is forever yours, and you, my precious knight, are mine."

     As I stood before him, I could feel the blue aura surrounding us, making our two spirits one. Wrapping my arms around him, the spell finished, and we were bound together for the rest of eternity.

     "Wow," Selphie marveled softly.

     "Got that right," Irvine added.

     Edea smiled. "Now you are truly ready," she said. "You know where you're going, don't you?" I nodded, and she continued, "Very well. I wish you good luck."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     The black mountains surrounding us that night loomed over us threateningly as the clouds began to cover the stars. The vehicle we drove in moved across the grasses almost silently, cloaked by an invisibility shield. No monsters were out tonight, thankfully. We were packed tightly into the car, with Selphie sitting in Quistis's lap and Zell squeezed in between them and Seifer. I had to sit on Squall in the passenger's seat. Cozy, if a bit crowded.

     "God, it's cold out here," Zell muttered.

     "Yeah," Selphie agreed.

     "Now, if my senses are correct, we should be going west right about now," I told Irvine, who was driving the vehicle.

     "Got it," he replied as he turned to the left.

     "Look!" Selphie exclaimed, pointing ahead. "There!"

     Ahead was a dark cave about half a mile away, straight ahead. I couldn't see very well in, but I knew that was where Raven was.

     "That's it," I told them. "Irvine, we need to park a little off to the side."

     "Will do."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Raven's P.O.V.

     _It wasn't long before I was knocked unconscious. I found myself in Balamb's infirmary, by a hospital bed. I looked down, and there I saw a girl, with long, flowing blonde hair, lightly bronzed skin . . . and the symbol of the child hanging around her neck._

_     Luna!_

_     Her chocolate eyes snapped open, causing me to stumble backwards in surprise. She sat up and looked at me, her eyes blazing. She smiled sweetly yet eerily, sending chills down my spine._

_     "Hi, Raven," she greeted me, rising and walking towards me. "Miss me much?"_

_     Then –_

_     Faster than lightening, she grabbed me by the shirt collar and held me up against the wall, so that I was struggling to breathe. I fought to release myself, but she was stronger than I, and there was no way I could win._

_     "What are you doing?" I asked her, half-choked. "How did you –"_

_     "You didn't think I would let you get away with all the misery you've caused, did you? Did you think you were rid of me for good?" She laughed at that, and continued, "Foolish Raven. Your arrogant heart has once again deceived you. I will never be truly gone, nor will anyone else you've cruelly slaughtered, physically and emotionally."_

_     She let go of my shirt, letting me drop to the floor. But strangely, just as I was about to hit the ground, it disappeared underneath me, and I fell into a deep, dark pit. Finally I hit the ground, and I was in a room, cozy and pleasant. I recognized it as Quistis's dorm, but it was no longer a pleasurable place once I saw the trail of blood leading to the bathroom. Shaking, I followed the trail, in fear of what I might find._

_     There were people strewn all over the vast room, moaning and crying out, bleeding profusely. I recognized all of them; some of them were people I had killed. I saw my cousin William, my first victim; some people off the streets of home who had tried to harass me one night; and then Zach, the one who had taken away my innocence so violently, though I hadn't truly been very innocent to begin with._

_     But what was puzzling was that there were many people there who were still alive in my world. There was my family, a troubled bunch to begin with, but even more so after I was born. Old friends and boyfriends were scattered about._

_     I walked among them, trying my best not to step on anyone, but it was hard not to, there were so many people. I left footprints in the blood of all my victims – there was that much blood._

_     Suddenly I tripped over something, sending me right down to the floor, getting blood all over my clothes. When I got up to see whom I had tripped over, I saw Seifer's face glaring up at me._

_     "Have a nice trip?" he asked, strained but sarcastic as ever._

_     All I could do was walk past, until I reached a light from above, like a spotlight. I looked, and there, lying in the light, was Terra. Her delicate arms had been slashed too many times to count, her hair drenched in a strange mixture of blood and tears. Beside her lay a butcher knife, splattered with crimson._

_     I picked up the knife, and a wave of emotions washed over me: fear, hatred, sorrow, anger . . ._

_     "These are the emotions you killed her with," I heard Luna say._

_     "But . . . but I don't understand," I stammered. "These people are still alive. Why are they dying? What's happening?"_

_     "You just don't get it, do you? How many times have you insulted her, Raven? How many times have you made her feel worthless and unappreciated? Or messed with her head, or shrugged her off, or shown her up, or made her feel guilty about things that were beyond her control? Huh, Raven?"_

_     "I . . . I just –"_

_     "You just what? You just didn't have time to be concerned about her? Of course you didn't, because you were too wrapped up in yourself. You just had too many problems to deal with, too many headaches. 'Oh, look at me, everybody hates me, my family is so terrible, my friends are such bitches, I'm in such pain . . .' Pitiful. Just pitiful!"_

_     "Please!"_

_     She appeared behind me and forced me to face her, as she stared into my very soul and continued. "Arrogant fool! You think that you are all that matters, you are the beginning and the end, you don't deserve any of this. Oh, poor baby, having that bad old reality come and hit you so hard." She then lunged forward and shoved me backwards as the room of people faded around us. "You know nothing about love or life. You hear that? Nothing!"_

_     "Leave me alone!" I shouted at her. "What do you want from me?"_

_     She relaxed for a bit, and looked long and hard at me before answering. "What do I want?" she asked. "What I want is my _revenge_!"_

_     Luna dashed towards me, and before I had a chance to react, she had landed a hard blow to my stomach, sending me reeling backward. I had barely gotten off the floor, though, before I was hoisted up in the air and shoved high against an invisible wall. I hung there for a moment as sweat trickled down my forehead, then was forced around to hit another wall. I was tossed from wall to wall, all the while accompanied by Luna's maniacal laughter._

_     She finally brought me over to her, making me float down to the ground beside her. I didn't bother to get up, but watched as Luna made her way towards me. "Well, well, well," she said with a grin. "The mother is now at the mercy of the child. How odd that is. How odd."_

_     "Go away!" I shouted up at her defiantly. "I want nothing to do with you!"_

_     "Really? Oh, that's too bad. I was just starting to have fun!"_

_     Before I knew it, the butcher knife from before was flung at me, landing just inches away from my head. Once again, I felt the pain, but this time, it was the compiled emotions of all I had mistreated, all I had slain._

_     Luna kneeled down next to me and spoke quietly, yet sinisterly. "Now you know what it's like to have your spirit destroyed over and over again, just like you did to everyone else. There's no escape from it now, Raven . . . and there is no escape from me."_

_     With that, she vanished. Then – crying. It came from behind me, and when I was strong enough to stand and look for the source, I saw something a few feet away . . . a baby._

_     She screamed loudly, and each howl stung me, until I almost couldn't bear the aching. "With each blow you take, the child can feel it as well. She is a part of you, and how thoughtless you are, you selfish woman, for wishing to harm her in any way. If she dies, Hecate will not spare you of her wrath. You think I was bad? She is worse, much worse." Luna appeared again, floating above me, and a ball of energy began to form in her hands. "You will learn what humility means if it's the last thing you are ever taught! I will teach you a lesson, one you will never forget!"_

_     She hurled the energy ball towards me, and no matter how much I screamed, she did not and would not stop._

     "Noooooooooooooooooooooo!"

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Terra's P.O.V.

     "Noooooooooooooooooooooo!"

     Our heads snapped around to the entrance of the cave as we got out of our car. It was Raven's shriek. She was in here.

     "What was that?" Selphie squeaked.

     "Raven," Seifer said darkly. "That's her, alright."

     "We need to get in there as soon as possible," I told them. "Come on, let's go."

     We began to make our way into the chilly cave. It was dark, but we could see well enough. I was getting the worst signals from this place; the walls were caked with enough negative residue to build an astral house. Rats and bugs scuttled about, and there were even a couple of bats.

     "Eww," Selphie whispered. "This place is so gross."

     "So unsanitary," Quistis added.

     "Don't worry, gals, I'm here," Irvine replied, trying to sound as brave as possible. "I'll protect you – I think."

     "That's nice, Irvine," I said, rolling my eyes. "Real encouraging."

     Finally the cave's passageway widened, and there, up against the wall, was Raven, chained and unconscious. Her clothes were in shreds, her skin was bloody and bruised, and her breathing was rigid and cold.

     Seeing that the sorceresses were gone, I rushed across the room to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She squirmed a bit at my touch, and her eyes fluttered open as she slowly floated back into consciousness. She saw me, and just barely managed to whisper, "You . . . what are you doing here?"

     "What do you think, Birdie? You think I would come all this way just to see you get beaten up? Come on, we need to get you down."

     "_What_? Terra, what in Hecate's name are you doing? I told you I didn't want –"

     She was cut off as I put a hand to her mouth to keep her quiet. "Shut up!" I hissed. "You want them to come back and fry you again? Keep talking."

     "I told you to just let me die," Raven continued as I worked furiously at her chains. "Everything would be better that way. Why didn't you listen?"

     "I take orders from the Mother Goddess, not you," I replied. "Hecate wants you to live, you're going to live. You have a daughter to protect."

     She just sighed. "Why do I try? Trying to stop you is like trying to stop a flood. You just don't seem to ever –"

     "Shut up? Good idea. You first."

     The others made their way over and began to help unshackling Raven. She chuckled when she saw Seifer working at the chains, and said, "I thought I was only good for a one-night stand. What changed your mind?"

     "It's not for you," Seifer answered crossly. "It's for the baby."

     Finally we were able to get her down. Irvine lifted her down and placed her on the ground. She only looked up at us and said, "You have to get out of here. If Adel and Aris catch you . . ."

     "We're trying to get caught," Zell told her. "That's the point. If we don't destroy her – boom-bada-boom-boom-boom."

     "First we have to heal you a bit," I added. "These wounds can't go untreated –"

     "_Intruders!_"

     Our heads snapped around in shock. Two towering figures approached from the shadows, and immediately I could feel the atmosphere change. One had long, platinum blonde hair, wrapping around its shoulders like one long string, while the other's brunette hair flowed freely around it. Long garments enveloped their bodies, opaque but not quite. Their blue eyes flashed from the darkness, and soon they stepped into the dim light for all of us to see.

     "It's them!" Selphie cried. "The sorceresses!"

     They floated towards us, not quite ready for battle, but making us all reach for our weapons just the same. "_I see you have decided to pay us a little visit, my friends,_" the blonde said.

     "Adel," Squall addressed her with a scowl. "At least this time you're looking vaguely female."

     She just chuckled at that. "_My, my, what rudeness. Where are your manners, Leonhart? Did you accidentally leave them behind?_"

     "_No time for greetings,_" Aris said angrily. "_What are you doing here? You dare oppose us?_"

     Her glare made me shiver, but I had to stand my ground. "You are sick creatures, you know that?" I told them. "Just where do you get off on this?"

     "_It is just so fun,_" Adel replied. "_Besides, once we have stolen the girl's power from her, we will be unstoppable. The world will be ours!_"

     "Bitches!" Zell growled. "I oughta pummel you right now!"

     "Quiet down, Chicken Wuss!" Seifer commanded him, smacking him upside the head. "Not yet!"

     "Raven will not pass on here by your hands," I snapped at them. "You will die before she does."

     "_Foolish girl! You think you can hold back death?_"

     "Stay away!" I shouted.

     "_You came much too late. This girl is mine – I am her dying breath!_"

     "I won't let you have her!"

     "_Sure as the grave, ignorant child, you must accept what is. Now her life is forever mine!"_

     "Then take mine for hers!"

     Everyone was taken aback. Adel jerked back in surprise, while Aris just glared at me. Even I was astounded by what I had just proposed, but I couldn't let them see it.

     Aris was stunned. "_What?"_

     "You heard me," I said slowly, gritting my teeth. "Take my life . . . my soul for hers."

     "Terra, no!" Irvine cried. "You can't!"

     I looked back at them, into each of their shocked faces, finally resting on Raven. She looked up at me, staggered. "But . . . but why?" she asked weakly.

     "It's okay," I assured them. Turning back to the sorceresses, I said, "It's all I can offer. What do you say?"

     They exploded with laughter. "_This is quite interesting," Adel observed. "__Look at this, Aris – the girl gives herself up for her enemy! How amusing!"_

     "_You are willing to die for her?" Aris asked me. "__Ridiculous thing! Killing Raven means killing her daughter, as well. It is two deaths in one. Do you think I would pass that up to kill a lithe little thing like you?"_

     "_But you must admit, it would be rather humorous," Adel said. "__It is a rather odd situation, and we would be giving up two most delicious demises, but killing this one would be rather hilarious, too."_

     "Sheesh, these two are homicidal maniacs," Zell whispered.

     "_Hmm . . . what if we did?" Adel wondered. "__Do you think so, Aris?"_

     Aris pondered this for a moment. Slowly an eerie smile crept across her face. She turned back to me and said, "_Perhaps it would not be so bad. Very well, then. I will spare Raven and the child . . . as soon as you give up your life to us."_

     "How do I know you won't kill Raven after I'm gone?" I asked suspiciously.

     "_No tricks this time. Look." With that, a glow began to radiate from Raven. Slowly, every cut and bruise disappeared. She was lifted up and placed on her feet, and soon she wasn't so frail anymore. She was completely healed._

     She came over to me and asked, "Why would you do this for me?"

     "Guess it's because I have a heart," I replied. "Even for you."

     "Please, Terra, don't do this!" Quistis pleaded. "You're both free now – you can –"

     "I made a deal," I answered, glancing over at Aris and Adel. "And I intend to keep my end of the bargain."

     Aris and Adel began to laugh maniacally. Before I knew it, both Raven and I were hoisted up into the air and flung against the hard wall. The cold stone was harsh on my body, ripping at my skin. Raven cried out in pain once more.

     "_You really are naïve," Aris said. "__I would never let you go. This is perfect – now both of you shall perish!"_

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     See the button below? Click!


	23. Mistakes

            Chapter 23- Mistakes

                VAMP QUEEN

                Third Person Perspective

                Hey, I feel that this doesn't need any intro, so enjoy!

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Aris and Adel began to laugh maniacally. Before they knew it, both Raven and Terra were hoisted up into the air and flung against the hard wall. The cold stone was harsh on Terra's body, ripping at her skin. Raven cried out in pain once more.

"_You really are naïve," Aris said. "__I would never let you go. This is perfect – now both of you shall perish!"_

                Raven, now healed and restored, started to attack, even while being tortured once more. She gritted her teeth against screams and spoke her spell. Energy began to form into a giant bull, horns down and preparing to charge. For a second the sorceresses seemed confused, but they threw up shields in time to save themselves from being gored.

                _"What trick is this?"_ Adel hissed._ "We killed the energy manipulator. You should have power over plants and the earth!"_

Raven froze. Terra, seeing this and that the sorceresses were also unbalanced, shot lightning bolts and fireballs at the pair. It hurt them enough to drop her but left Raven still suspended. 

Squall rushed over to her side and helped her up. Terra settled herself in his arms as the rest of the group tried desperately to defeat these witches to no avail. Raven, the ever-calculating one, was trying to find some way down and some way to win. By the look of desperation on her face, Squall could tell that it looked hopeless. 

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do as a knight, but he wrapped his arms around Terra's waist, imagining all of the power from his love and soul flowing into Terra. She put her hands over his, leaned back against his chest, and raised their entwined hands. 

Blinding light shone in the entire room, and the pair was thrown back into a wall. When the light dimmed, they all saw the two lying on the floor, hurt but not defeated. Not in the slightest.

Raven, still struggling against her bonds, finally picked them with an energy key and fell from her place of captivity. She sat up and cried out. She fell back again and yelled, "Enough!"

The room was plunged into darkness and Terra, Squall, Irvine, Seifer, Quistis, Selphie, and Raven all fell into somewhere they had no idea existed.

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Raven's POV

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Good thing this time pocket was dark. I put my hand to my now-bleeding forehead and tried to stand. I got to a half standing position when I simply let myself drop. I had no idea I had been that hurt. 

In my curled up position, I was completely in pain. I slowly moved and was soon on my hands and knees. I still hurt but that didn't matter. The others were hurt.

Again, I staggered to my feet and went to the dazed people sitting on the ground. I touched each one, giving them a little energy. Most simply said "Thanks," too out of it to realize what was going on. 

The only ones who didn't were Seifer and Terra. The blonde glared at me and turned his face away from me, a blatant refusal of my gift. I touched the back of his wrist with one finger, causing him to look at me. I smiled furtively and whispered, "Just let me heal you. It will mean that I have less energy and I'll die faster. Isn't that what you want?"

Strangely, his gaze softened and he pushed my hands away. "I'm not hurt very bad," he said just as softly. "I'm not worth it."

I moved onto Terra before he could say anything else. He was just saying that because I carried his daughter. If I didn't… _'That's it.'_

I knelt by Terra and she began to bombard me with questions. Since I wasn't paying attention, I didn't' answer. When I was done, I turned my attention to her. "Sum up your questions. We only have 28 minutes now and I have three spells I have to get ready for and do. So what?"

She gaped at me for a mere split second then launched into her questions. "Where are we?"

"I created a pocket in time that keeps us in this room for a half hour and then sends us back to the exact same second we left once the time is up. Does that explain everything, Terra?" _'I'm gonna miss you and your level head.'_

She didn't hear that thankfully. She just continued. "Why are you hurt again?"

"I took the energy that they put into healing me and used it to make this and heal you guys."

"What are your spells?"

I snorted. "I'm not telling you. I don't need your help and you'll just try to stop me."

"No, I won't. I promise."

I stopped my pacing, looked at her, and threw my head back and laughed, despite how much it hurt me. I abruptly stopped and glared at her. "If you kept all of your promises like that, you would have told Seifer that he wasn't going to be a father, that I was sorry for ruining everyone's lives, and I'd be dead and you all wouldn't be in this mess."

Before she could retort, Seifer butted in. "You mean that she _asked_ you to kill her and you didn't? Oh, thanks, Terra!"

"Shut up, you meanie! If she did, then your daughter would be dead, too!" Selphie stood glaring at him with her hands on her hips. "You at least care about her, don't you?" Seifer looked away from the short girl's gaze. I flinched, knowing that no one in here was here to save me… just my child.

"Look, can we just get down to business? If y'all don't mind, I'd like to get out of here in one piece and alive."

"For once, Irvine's right," Quistis said, ignoring Irvine's pained looks. "We need to have a plan."

"Maybe we can all be a sort of diversion and Terra, Squall, and Raven can start working their magical mumbo-jumbo," Zell suggested. 

"No, we lost the element of surprise." Terra turned to Seifer. "Is there anything that you can think of that might take out Adel? You might have am idea waiting to happen in a small simple detail."

"Well, there's…"

For the next ten minutes, the group discussed plans and strategies, all which would not work. They didn't notice that I was not taking part in the discussions. Then they heard a baby cry.

The seven turned to where I was standing with a newborn baby girl. I had a tired smile on my face and sheer determination was the only thing holding me up. I looked at them and said, "You guys, meet Flora Luna Almasy. My daughter.

"I made a type of magical womb and transferred her there. Then I did a spell that made a month go by in a minute. In fifteen minutes, you can take what you came for and I'll teleport you out of here." My breathing was labored, but I still turned to Terra.

"We couldn't win without both of us having knights or if we had the third witch. Since there's no one on any planet that could e my knight, that rules out the first of my plans. So I did a scrying for the power of the child and I found out something."

Terra looked furious with me, but I didn't care. They didn't want me and they were going to get hurt or killed if they tried to save both Flora and me. I had to do this. "There's no way that the next child could save us because Flora is the next one. She got Luna's powers and I had no way of tapping into them so they're dormant. Besides, you don't need me. Didn't you hear them? They meant to kill me, not Luna." 

I had started to babble, but I didn't care. 

            "They have her shade." 

                                         _'I won't see her first step.'_

                                            "She wants revenge." 

                                                                         _'I won't see her first word.'_

            "With me gone, she can go on to Mother Hecate" 

                                                                                                         _'I won't teach her about magic or how to ride a bike or put on make-up or anything.'_

I shook my head to pull myself together. "I said that I needed to do three spells. This is the first. The other two are a teleportation spell and a gift spell. The teleportation one will be set on a magical timer for 30 seconds after we come out. I'll stay and distract these bitches. You guys will appear next to your car and you _will_ get out of here." By now, I was crying. I knew I would die and the thought scared me.

I looked down at my daughter. She was so beautiful. And she would never know me. I smiled ruefully. Maybe it was better that way. 

"The gift spell will attach my powers to one of you. That way when I die, they won't get my magic. It will go to the next witch. Then, you will have what you want and not have what you don't. And I'll have done something with my pathetic life."

I dried my tears with one hand and looked at each of them. Quistis's mouth was hanging open and she looked shocked. Zell was frowning disapprovingly. Most likely because I gave Flora Seifer's last name and also named her after Luna. Selphie, the perkiness gone from her, seemed sullen and about to cry. She just didn't like death. Irvine seemed to want to say something but was waiting for the right moment. Seifer's face was blank and unreadable. I couldn't tell what he was thinking but it probably wasn't good thoughts about me. Squall had his normal stoic façade on. He had his hand on Terra's shoulder, steadying her. Like Seifer, I couldn't tell what these two were thinking. 

Finally, Irvine spoke up. He began to clap. "Congratulations. You figured out how to get all of us out of here, how to get rid of you, and how to get what we came for. But how do you expect us to finish them off, huh? What happens if, like Luna, your power goes to a baby and we can't kill them? Hmm?"

"Backlash," Terra said in a monotone voice. If you use the gift spell, and the gifted leaves an area of one hundred meters, then there's a magical bubble that seals the person and all things around her 100-meter vicinity. No magic, objects, or people can leave. If, however," she said, glancing at Seifer for some reason, "the person escapes the bubble by means of a teleport that is at the same time of the backlash, the bubble will stay and all powers go back to the sorceress."

"But we're not trying for that, right?" Zell asked. "I mean, there's a chance that that won't work and we'll be in a bigger mess."

"No, we're not!" Everyone jumped at my raised voice. "This is a gift to you! Don't reject it!" Flora fussed and I took a moment to calm her down. "No, we're not," I repeated, in a quieter tone. "There's too big a risk. And if a person offers their life for yours, you pay them back," I glanced at Terra. "And you don't reject their offer."

I looked round this small room once more. There was so much that needed to be said and s little time. "Zell, I'm sorry that they mistook me for Luna. She still loves you. And I couldn't do a thing to help her and I should have. Selphie, you're always cheerful… except when others are unhappy. I apologize for creating that sadness that followed everyone. Quistis, I just put a strain on your friendships with everyone. That's why I'm sorry. Squall, you were the person who stood by me the longest and I disappointed you. I'm sorry. Irvine…" my shoulders drooped. "Did I- oh, yeah. I'm sorry for hurting the people you care about and all those times I called you a Southern idiot. Terra, I couldn't even begin to scratch the surface of all the injustice that I put you through. I hope that one day… no, I know that one day you'll be better. And I hope that you can find forgiveness for me in the future. Seifer…" I bit my lip, knowing that this would be the hardest. "Seifer, I'm sorry for most of everything. But what I told you that morning, well…" He raised his eyes to mine and nodded. He understood.

The room around us flashed red three times and I felt momentary panic. "Quick, take her," I said hurriedly, handing my precious child to Seifer. I can't believe that I actually tried to kill her. 'I'm so sorry,' I thought hoping that none of them heard me. I saw something in Seifer's eyes but there was no time. "We have 30 seconds. Quistis, come here." I grabbed her hand and said the spell for the teleportation. Then I went into the gift spell:

               My magic, which was borne with me-

                                               I give as a gift to thee.

               And when it begins to abate-

                                                                               Thus I shall have sealed my fate.

I felt a shock as my magical signature was pulled from me. I felt so wrong. And empty. I fell to the sitting position that I had been in before making the pocket and light flooded my senses. As I saw it, I thought, directing my thoughts to Seifer, 'I always loved you.' Then I was blinded.

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There we go! What's going to happen? I don't know! 


	24. Killing the Demons

Chapter 24- Killing The Demons

Author- VAMP QUEEN

Third Person Perspective

Well, people, we're almost done. Just this chapter, the next, and then the epilogue left. I know it took a while to get out, but I thought that Zelda was writing it, and then it turned out that I had to. So I hope you enjoy!

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The group of nine appeared moments before they had disappeared; yet they knew that they weren't really there yet. They watched what had happened:

_Blinding light shone in the entire room, and the pair was thrown back into a wall. When the light dimmed, they all saw the two lying on the floor, hurt but not defeated. Not in the slightest._

_Raven, still struggling against her bonds, finally picked them with an energy key and fell from her place of captivity. She sat up and cried out. She fell back again and yelled, "Enough!"_

Squall and Terra were once again in each other's arms, leaning against the wall, yet not hurt. Quistis was standing within fighting distance of the sorceresses along with Zell and Selphie, each standing straight up in full health. Raven, back on the ground and the only one worse off than before, searched for Seifer and Flora. They were nowhere to be found. Panic lit in her chest and she tried to get up. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Seifer standing behind her, holding his little angel. Her tuft of blonde hair shone even in the dim light and her green eyes mirrored Seifer's. They both watched her with those lustrous jade orbs. All she could do was smile. 

He knelt down and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I heard you," he said shortly.

"I know. I hoped that you did." She sighed, realizing that this would be the last time she ever saw either of them. "You have fifteen seconds. Take care of her." Knowing that she wouldn't live to regret it, she leaned forward to kiss him. It wasn't long enough for him to respond, just a brush, but he got the message. She pulled away from his touch and waited for him to leave. 

The time was up and the spell started. Raven's head tilted to the side when Seifer didn't disappear. In the corner of her eye, she saw Zell disappear, the light showing where he was shooting through the ceiling, followed by Selphie. Her eyes widened. It wasn't working properly! Irvine left, and she prayed that Quistis would be last. 

Murphy's Law kicked in. Quistis left and when Terra disappeared, her light simply hit the wall and pinged back to Squall, knocking him over. All was still. All was silent. Raven, with the help of Seifer, got to her feet. She looked around and saw the two evil witches smiling at her. 

"So, Adel, which do you want to kill?" Aris snarled, her blue eyes flashing. She glared at first Terra, then Raven and switched back and forth, waiting for her sister's reply. 

"I'm not sure." Adel was not happy. "Now, we can only kill these ones. What did they do? I don't like it when people try to trick us." The two sisters started to gather their energy, preparing to kill the four standing in their midst. 

Raven looked at their small, bedraggled group. First, there had been the Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Gorgon. Oh, of course they had been called many things in different cultures. Raven always preferred this explanation.

The lover was the Phoenix, with their fiery passion and the way that each was like the other. They were almost always reborn at the place of their death. Terra had come in to the room where the previous Phoenix had killed herself just in time to witness it. The mother was the Dragon, cool, detached, ancient, and powerful. They were store holders for an immense amount of power, yet could barely tap into it. They held the other two's main supply within their body, mind, and soul. The child could be looked at as a Gorgon, inflicting revenge on those that cross them. Two out of three were always extremely hard to kill. Luna had been the "medusa", the one of three who was killable. That and her hair could be a little crazy in the mornings.

Now, however, the Gorgon was just a child, and the powerful Dragon was weak and handicapped. Only the Phoenix was strong. 

"Fine, then." Aris looked at the two sorceresses and made her choice. "I wanted to be the one to kill the Phoenix. Now I'll have that chance. You take the Dragon." She started to advance when Terra pushed Squall away from her and braced herself.

"That's what you think, ghost dog!" she shouted. The brunette created a ball of fire and threw it to the sisters, knocking them over. 

Flora began to whimper slightly in her father's arms. Raven's head snapped around and she motioned for Seifer to get back, out of the way. Completely scared for the first time in his life, Seifer could only comply. 

The raven-haired girl sighed and turned back to the witch. "Now," she said, pulling out her whip, "time to give you a little training in obedience." With that, the battle lines were set up. The duels started.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Terra immediately brought out her bow and shouldered her quiver. She notched an arrow and whispered her ice spell. At once, dagger-like icicles formed over the head of the arrow. She aimed for her adversary and let loose her shot. It embedded itself into Aris's stomach, stopping her advancement. 

The ghost looked down surprised. "Now how did that happen?" she asked, pulling out the arrow painfully. 

Terra smirked. "No one," she stated, notching her second arrow, "messes with the people I care about. Since ice doesn't seem to bother you, how about we warm things up a little?" Her arrow became a blaze as she put a fire spell on it. As she loosed it, however, a wave of magic knocked her down and back onto the floor. The girl looked up, startled. "Ok, it looks like fire doesn't work well, either."

While she was rising, Squall took the opportunity to help his beloved in her fight. He jumped in and, using his gunblade, cut deeply into the ghost's stomach. Aris howled, a bloodcurdling, inhuman sound. She swiped at him with poisonous claws and he was barely able to jump back in time. 

The intimidating woman held the gash closed with one hand and made a motion with another. Although the gunblade wielder was quick enough to avoid her physical blow, there was nothing to protect him from her magical one. He was hoisted into the air and thrown forcefully into the wall. 

Terra's eyes blazed. "This is between you and me, dog. Leave him out of this!" The simple, pure burst of energy that the witch expelled was enough to greatly diminish Aris's hit points. Within a few blows, she would be dead. 

The malicious smirk that graced the Phoenix's face showed that she knew how close her opponent was to her demise. She took half a second to heal her knight and turned to her partner. The smile disappeared. Raven was not doing as well as her. No, not at all.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Raven was almost on all fours, she was so exhausted. Her rebellious "student" was teaching her a lesson. Adel wore that evil on her like a cloak and her expression showed that she knew she was winning. 

The girl cursed. She was a healer, not a fighter. And there was so much on the line. She looked over at the lover and saw that she seemed worried. A half grimace, half smirk came on Raven's face. "Well," she said, "this trip wasn't at all like we thought. Next time, I pick the vacation. Is that alright?" Inside, she cursed yet again. She only joked like that when she was scared, in trouble, or both. And Terra knew that.

She was thrown into that wall again before she could hear Terra's reply. She groaned, got up slightly, and then fell back again. Stars floated in front of her eyes, dancing to the sound of Adel's evil laughter. 

She was dimly aware of Squall jumping in and fighting for a while. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that he was not the one who would kill her. Then a little voice told her what to do.

She got to her feet; puppeteer's strings gracefully pulling her to where Raven needed to be. She said to Squall something quietly, something about getting out of the way, and yet it was barely above a whisper, she saw that he heard. She raised her hands and prepared for her limit break.

Now she knew why it was called that.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Seifer was crouched in a corner of this dank cave holding Flora. He couldn't believe that this was all happening. He could feel Raven's power gathering, despite her weakened state. Oh, goodie, she was going to use her limit break. 

She walked as if someone was controlling her, yet she seemed so calm. She got to her place to fight the monster before her. The already dim cave turned pitch black and there was only the sound of chanting. Flora started to fuss and he did what he could to calm her down. 

Suddenly, she was quiet, along with the chanting. A silent flash of lighting comes and Raven is illuminated for a second. She seems drenched with blood. The next flash shows her clean, looking to the sky, waiting.

There was a loud, low flap of wings and a red light slowly and softly started to light the dark. Standing behind Raven was a giant bat like demon, slightly like Bahamut.  Her whip cracked and the thing nodded. All was dark again. When the lights returned to normal, the demon was gone and Adel's corpse was lying on the ground, shredded. 

Her magic came up and split into three equal parts. Each went to one of the adult witches that were there. Aris, having been close to death, was fully healed, as was Raven. Though she had not been as bad off as the other two, Terra was also healed. 

And Squall began to attack at full force.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

For a moment, it all seemed so silent. The fighting went on with such a rhythm that it barely made a noise. There was just the sound of the fighting itself, with an occasional grunt or muttered word. No jeers were thrown and no threats made. All were bent on winning.

Then Flora began to cry.

No one could blame her. If you remember, all she had done so far was fuss a little. In fact, it had all been so quiet, all of the players in the act of fighting jumped. 

Aris grinned wickedly. "Well, I never had the opportunity to kill someone twice," she said, rolling up her sleeves. "This ought to be fun!" She cast a lightning spell in the form of an orb. She stepped back and relished the looks of horror on Flora's parent's faces. She let loose her horrible blow just moments too late.

Terra smirked as she saw the stupefied look on the spell caster's face. "What?" she asked. "Have you never seen a shield spell? No? Well, too bad." 

Flora was raised into the air and was contained in a shimmering pale blue shield of pure magic. She was currently giggling and looking around from her new perch. Despite her newness to the world, she looked around herself with the awareness of someone with a few years to his or her name.

The now solidified ghost let loose an inhuman howl. Terra already suspected that the thing before her was not human and she kept proving that point. 

Raven joined Terra and stood beside her. "Let me guess," the Goth said to her shorter counterpart. "If we go out, we're going out together? Like always?"

Looking at her partner, Terra bit back a retort when she saw the wicked, vengeful gleam in her eyes. She smiled slightly. "Yeah, just like old times. Now all we have to do is wait for my brain to kick in and make a plan." 

A brief smile flitted across Raven's pale face. "If we do that, then I should stand back and be ready with the healing spells. So what's the plan?"

"Protect that baby." Raven nodded her agreement and shot a tiny energy shield just large enough to stop the spell from hitting the little one. 

Infuriated, Aris threw spell after spell. They barely were able to stop them, let alone hurt her. The witch's speed picked up and a few of the energy balls got through their defense. 

Up above them, the blue shield was infused with red magic- Flora's magic. She giggled and it grew brighter. Raven nodded. "That's my girl," she whispered.

Suddenly, her barrage stopped. Squall had taken the opening of her attention being distracted to nearly open her stomach. He had taken on a slight blue glow and was standing ready to take another swing.

To his surprise, Aris's hand shot out and clutched his throat in a vice-like grip. He was hoisted in the air. She sneered at his slightly panicked face and his attempts to get out of her grasp. She drew him close to her and then threw the knight across the room, into the wall. 

He didn't get up.

Terra was furious. While Raven was taking care of Squall, she turned to the one who inflicted such pain on the one she loved. Her hands crackling, she stepped forward to duel with her. There was one drawback.

Aris's hands too were engulfed in lightning. Smiling, shed said, "My sister and I, we chose to use you and that girl with power over earth and plants because your powers are the same as ours." Her hands still crackling in time with Terra's, she advanced. "So you can't hurt me!" She laughed as she cam to Terra, arms outstretched to strangle her and be the end of her.

_'Squall, Raven, where are you?'_ Terra thought as she prepared to take on something she feared- another of herself.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Tired, Seifer knelt, leaning on his gunblade. How could she not notice that he was trying to kill her? He had been going back and forth behind her, trying to remove her torso from her legs. 

At the most, he ridded her of some lint and a few hit points and perhaps cooled her off a little. 

He cursed under his breath. He wasn't doing any good. He couldn't help at all.

_'Why am I helping in all of this? Why do I want to help? She won't kill me… she has no reason to and she's not that crazy. So why am I helping?'_ The same question kept echoing in his head. Was it for himself? No, he just blew that reasoning out of the water. Was it for Flora? He made a face. He hated that name. Hopefully, she would pick a nickname or go by her middle name. That couldn't be true, though. She was probably the most safe out of everyone. If they all died, she would still be fine and someone from the Garden would find her. What was it?

When he looked up to the fight, he saw Raven thrown from the battle. She groaned and tried to get up. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed for the tenth time that day. 

Pain suddenly exploded in his heart when he realized that she might be dead. Seifer ran over to her, praying to whatever would hear him that she would be all right. He knelt beside her and whispered "Curaga", waving his hand over her body. She didn't move.

Cursing, he tried again. And again. And a fourth time. Finally, her eyes fluttered open. She smiled slightly at him and he felt a little tug on his heart. He knew that feeling.

He was in love.

As soon as he thought this, he and Raven started to glow with a slight green light. Even the fighting stopped when it picked up a brighter hue. They all turned to see the two on the ground, Seifer holding his beloved and brushing hair out of her face. 

Raven snuggled closer to Seifer and whispered, "I love you." Joy engulfed her face when he replied. 

"I love you too," he whispered, right before he caught her lips in a gentle and passionate kiss. 

The green glow turned into a blinding light as the two kissed. When it finally died down, there was an unusual look about Seifer. It was as if he had finally found his place.

Then there was the fact that he was still glowing green. 

He helped Raven up and the pair joined Terra and Squall. Raven smiled at Seifer and looked to the knight and sorceress. "I now have-" she was cut off momentarily by a coughing spell. She quickly tucked her hand away from sight and continued. "I now have my knight. Let's do this thing."

As they assembled together, the girls beside each other with their respectable knights behind them, Aris began to laugh. "What?" she asked. "Do you really think that you can beat me?" 

The solidified ghost continued to cackle as Raven leaned her head back to talk to Seifer. "What you'll be doing is lending me your strength. Just envision your power flowing through you and into me. And help me stand, all right?"

"Why did you hide your hand?" She showed him. It was covered in blood. Knowing she wouldn't let him just carry her, he took on as much of her weight as possible. 

Terra looked at Raven. "I'll do the first and third lines, ok?"

She nodded. "Fine with me."

Aris's laughter stopped when they started.

       "Hear us all witches deceased"

                 "Lend us your power, let it increase"

"No," Aris said, advancing, hoping to put a stop to this powerful spell.

       "Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather before"

                           "Help us, please, to settle the score"

With a cry and a rush of wind, she started to disappear. Pushing their hands joined with their knights, what was active of the Witches Three repeated their spell in perfect timing, calling on all those who had died before them. 

Suddenly, all was quiet. Raven almost fell, but was kept up by Seifer. Smiling, Terra called Flora down to her arms. 

Up from where Aris's body lay, there came a ghost, who smiled at the odd group. 

Luna said, "Thank you for finishing them off. Now I can rest in peace. And Raven, don't let your daughter make the same mistakes you did. She's so beautiful." The shade smirked. "Of course, it's because she looks like me. Goodbye!" She floated out through the ceiling, only to be seen later. But that's another story.

Peace lasted for only a moment. The cave started to fall in and they made it out only just in time. With that behind them, they remembered one last problem.

"The Garden is 40 miles away," Squall stated. "How are we going to get back?"

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Sorry it took so long! Yell all you want, but I think that this was the hardest for me by far. I just wasn't to take time to say that this chapter is dedicated to all of you who keep reading and specifically to three people-

First, to Zelda tilRednaxelous. You're my co writer and without you, we never would have even started this. 

To marsbar27. You have help me out more times than I can count. You also have reviewed the most and your support made a huge difference.

And also to Arkangel. I have the feeling that you're reading this and I hope you know that you are a major inspiration to this story. May God bless you and keep you.

That's it until next time! So just review!

VAMP QUEEN

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	25. The End of the Beginning

Chapter 25 – The End of the Beginning

Zelda til Rednaxelos

Terra's P.O.V.

     Well, here we are. Just the epilogue left now. I'll miss this story… sorry for the wait… anyway, enjoy!

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     We walked back a short distance, a dead silence hanging over our heads like a dark cloud. No one dared to speak. The only sound that could be heard was an occasional cry from Flora, and a low "Shh" from Raven.

     Was it really over? Adel and Aris – were they truly dead now? By _our_ hands?

     Finally the silence was broken when Raven handed the girl to me. "Could you take her for a bit?" she asked softly. "My arms are tired."

     "Sure," I replied, taking Flora into my arms. I looked into the tiny faced, watched the tiny hands reach for my hair, and marveled at how beautiful she was. Flora – Latin for "flower". And she was truly a little rosebud, cheeks bright with color, eyes green as her father's. "She has your nose, Raven," I said as we stopped to rest.

     "Does she?" Raven inquired, looking over my shoulder at her. "She does. I haven't had time to really look her over. She's beautiful, isn't she?"

     "Of course," Seifer replied. "She takes after her mother."

     Raven smiled at that, blushing madly. No one had ever seen that much color on her face before. "Yeah, I love you, too," she said softly.

     "So," I said to her. "You've learned to love at last."

     She nodded. "Yes. I know. You're still angry at me, aren't you?"

     "Not angry," I answered. "Just still slightly annoyed. Let's face it, you were possibly the biggest bitch the world had ever seen."

     "I know," Raven said ashamedly. "And I'm sorry. I know that I was selfish and cold and all that. But I'm sorry. I really am. My attitude has cost me nearly everything . . . I guess I've paid for it in full, huh? All those years of cruelty and callousness . . . I know I deserve everything that's happened to me, but . . . could you possibly forgive me?"

     I inched closer to her and took her face in my hands. Looking into her dark eyes, I could see true sorrow, as only a sorceress could ever understand. Her repentance was genuine this time; how could I refuse her?

     "Raven," I told her softly, "I know that lately things have been so hard between the two of us. We both have been cruel, and we both have been callous. We haven't always been the best of friends. And yes, I know that some of the crimes you have committed in the past would generally be unforgivable. But none of that matters now. We may insult each other and be cruel to each other and occasionally try to harm each other, but whatever happens, we are still united by a magical bond that can never be broken. You're still my friend, no matter how much I may hate you sometimes. No matter what happens, you will always be my sister."

     A tear trickled down Raven's face as she looked up at me, filled with an indescribable joy. Finally released from our bondage of hate, we were once again truly united. I put my arms around her, and she put her head on my shoulder and cried silently.

     "Thank you," she whispered.

     Squall and Seifer smiled, first at us, then at each other. "Hey, Puberty Boy," Seifer said, extending his hand out to Squall. "We gonna be friends now, or what?"

     Squall took his hand and shook it firmly, grinning. "Yeah, Blondie. Whatever."

     Breaking the picture was a laugh from Flora. Her face shone with the purity of infancy, her cheeks pink as two summer roses. We all adored the little girl so much, so much . . .

     "Raven," Seifer said to her.

     Raven looked up at him, her eyes still slightly red from joyous tears. "Yes, my love?"

     "I was looking at Flora, you know . . . well, Luna, or whatever we're going to call her…man, I hate the name Flora… anyways… and, well, I was thinking . . ." he stumbled over his words like an infant with his first steps. "Well, you know, about her and about you and about all three of us, and . . . I . . ."

     For the first time in all of history, Seifer was stammering and stumbling over his words as he tried to force them out. "Amazing," Squall mumbled to me with a smirk.

     "Don't laugh! This is serious. I mean, I know we've only known each other a few months, and I know I took advantage of you and got you an unwanted pregnancy and all, but . . . I love you. I really do."

     Raven nodded. "I know. And I love you, too."

     "And I was thinking, you know, it really isn't right for a child to have to be raised out of wedlock. I do have morals, believe it or not. And I know I don't have a ring right now, but . . . damn, this is hard…well, what I guess I'm trying to say is . . . I love you. And I want to keep you by my side from now on. I want you to marry me."

     The rest of us sat there for a minute, stunned. Raven just stared at him, wide-eyed, until finally she could say, "Seifer . . . I . . ."

     "So what do you say?" Seifer asked, coming to Raven's side and taking her hands in his. "Will you let me make an honest woman out of you?"

     Tears once again overflowed onto her cheeks. "Oh, Seifer . . ."

     "Please?"

     "I . . . I will. I will –"

     She was cut off when Seifer gently pressed his lips against hers, locking them in a silent embrace that could have in all likelihood lasted forever. It was soon broken when Flora tugged at Raven's hair, giggling. The two parents looked down at their beautiful child and laughed in unison, beginning to tickle and stroke her like the happy family they finally were.

     Squall reached for my hand and squeezed it tenderly. We looked at each other, inspired and hopeful. He pulled me close to him, and I sat there with him, relishing the fact that, at long last, everything was settled. The evil sorceresses were gone, Raven was redeemed and happily engaged, and I now had everything I'd ever wanted as a child but never could have: true friendship, true happiness, and true love.

     "Hey, look!" Seifer pointed to something in the distance. We all looked behind us, and parked a few meters away was an abandoned land rover. It was dirty and looked a bit out of shape, but looked still functional.

     We all breathed sighs of relief. "Hecate is smiling upon us today," Raven said.

     "That's our way back," Squall said. "Let's get over there."

     "Aye, aye, Commander!" I agreed cheerfully. With that, we stood and headed over. In a few minutes we were there. Luckily, the key was still in the ignition, a bit rusty, but still able to turn.

     "I'll drive," Seifer volunteered. "Let's get going!"

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     As we got closer and closer to the Garden, we saw that a huge crowd of people was waiting there for us. There were students, all of them, with Cid, Edea, Quistis, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie at the head. Selphie spotted us coming and pointed, shouting, "They're here! They've come back – look!"

     As everyone saw us coming, a loud roar escaped from the crowd as they threw their hands in the air, whooping and cheering like nothing I had ever seen before. The whole academy was there, cheering for us, as we raced forward to meet them.

     We stopped in front of them and hopped out of the car, and immediately everyone in the crowd engulfed us. Before I knew it, I was in the air on top of Irvine's broad shoulders, with Raven and Flora beside me atop Zell's equally strong ones. We were held there for a good three minutes, as the crowd chanted, "_All for one and one for all! All for one and one for all! All for one and one for all!_"

     We were let back down as the crowd was silenced. Quistis and Selphie surrounded Raven and I, huddling us into a group hug. Each one of us beamed from ear to ear; nothing could hold back our joy. Cid began to speak, saying, "I am proud to have gotten the opportunity to know both of you. Raven, Terra, you are the best thing that has ever happened to this academy. Without you, we would never have discovered the evil witches' plans until it was far to late. To commemorate this special event," he continued, looking toward Selphie, "Selphie, I want you and your committee to begin decorating the ballroom immediately. We are having a celebration!"

     Another cheer went up from the crowd, and Edea said, "We regret that you will be leaving us soon for your world."

     "They're not." Seifer surprised everyone when he put an arm around Raven and said, "Raven and I, and the baby, cannot be separated now. We need each other. We're a family now." He held up Raven's hand, which somehow had gotten a thin, silver band on its finger. "We're getting married!"

     This got the loudest cheer of all. Zell and Irvine both came up to shake his hand, and Quistis and Selphie hugged Raven once more.

     "Well, then, best of luck to the newlyweds-to-be!" Cid exclaimed. "Now, then, I hereby declare that this day is set aside as a day of preparation for tomorrow night's event! Go on, get moving!"

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     The following night turned out to be the best night of my life. There seemed to be no end to the congratulations Seifer and Raven were receiving. They were truly the happiest couple there that night.

     Well, perhaps not _the_ happiest. They tied with me and Squall, who did nothing but dance all night in each other's arms. We did the tango, the samba, the salsa, the waltz, everything, together as one.

     Finally a familiar song came on as Quistis took the stage. "This song is dedicated to four of my dearest friends. I want this to forever be the theme song of Squall and Terra, and of Seifer and Raven, who proved that love can withstand the storm, and cross the earth, and survive even in the face of death."

     The strings swelled, and Quistis took the microphone, filling the room with her lovely voice. It struck us deep in our hearts, for it now had a whole new meaning.

"Whenever sang my songs 

_ On the stage, on my own_

_ Whenever said my words_

_ Wishing they would be heard_

_ I saw you smiling at me – was it real or just my fantasy? _

_You'd always be there in the corner of this tiny little bar"_

     I smiled up at Squall as I wrapped my arms around his neck, inducing him to pull me closer, until we were only inches apart. "This is our song now," he whispered to me. "Ours. Forever."

"My last night here for you 

_ Same old songs, just once more_

_ My last night here with you?_

_Maybe yes, maybe no"_

     "Thank Hecate it isn't," I said.

"I kind of liked it your way,

 How you shyly placed your eyes on me

 Did you ever know that I had mine on you?"

     "I had my eyes on you from the moment I saw you," Squall told me softly.

     "Why didn't you show it?" I asked him. "Why were you always so closed up?"

     "I . . . I guess it was fear. I was afraid of getting hurt again. I've always been afraid of getting hurt, ever since I was a kid, and –"

     "Shh," I said, putting a finger to his lips to silence him. "I know how you feel. But it's over now. All that's left now is us. Together."

"Darling, so there you are, with that look on your face 

_ As if you're never hurt_

_ As if you're never down_

_ Shall I be the one for you,_

_ Who pinches you softly, but sure? _

_If frown is shown then, I will know that you are no dreamer."_

     "I _am_ a dreamer," I continued. "I've always been. Always will be. You never needed to doubt that I was dreaming of you." I kissed him softly, and told him, "I have given you my heart. Now all I ask of you is that you give me yours."

     "I will."

_"So let me come to you_

_Close as I want to be_

_Close enough for me_

_To feel your heart beating fast"_

 Quistis's voice was lovely, filled with passion and warmth – filling us with passion and warmth, as well. 

_"And stay there as I whisper _

_How I loved your peaceful eyes on me –_

_Did you ever know that I had mine on you?"_

     "I did know," Squall said to me. "I was just afraid. I'm sorry it took me so long – I really am."

     I just smiled at him. "Better to wait for true love than to hurry it along and watch it leave you in a glance for then it wouldn't be true or worthwhile like your love."

"Darling, so share with me

Your love if you have enough –

The tears if you're holding back

Or pain if that's what it is"

     "It was both of those, for both of us," I continued. "But that matters not now. What matters is that we know now how we feel."

"How can I let you know 

I'm more than the dress and the voice?

Just reach me out and

You will know that you are not dreaming.

Darling, so there you are, 

With that look on your face

As if you're never hurt, as if you're never down

Shall I be the one for you,

Who pinches you softly, but sure?

If frown is shown then, 

I will know that you are no dreamer."

     As the song was ending, Squall whispered in my ear, "If I give my heart to you . . ."

     I finished for him, saying, "It will be always yours."

     I embraced him, and we just stood there for a moment, lost in time. Nothing could touch us, nothing could separate us, and nothing could ever dim our immortal love.

     "Attention, please! Attention!"

     We looked up from our embrace, and there was Seifer with the microphone. "First of all, thank you, Quistis, for that lovely contribution. It was extraordinary." A round of applause came up as Quistis blushed and smiled. "Second," Seifer continued, "I think Squall has an announcement to make. Squall – your turn."

     Another round of applause was given as Squall broke away from me and headed up to the stage. I followed him through the crowd to the front, looking up at him in curiosity.

     "Thanks," he said as Seifer handed him the microphone. "I just wanted to say that, as the song was playing, and Terra and I were dancing . . . well, I just thought about how much I love her. I've loved her since we first met, and it's like nothing I've ever known. I can't tell you about the things I feel in my heart when I look into her eyes, when I hear her voice, when I feel her embrace . . . it's wonderful. She's shown me what it means to love."

     He looked me in the eyes as he was saying all this, and I couldn't help but stare back. He was saying this to _me_. No one had ever told me anything like this before, not my family, not my friends, nobody. For so long I was used as a trophy, never really worth anything, and yet here was Squall, telling me that _I_ mattered, that _I_ was important to him and loved by him. I couldn't believe that any of this was happening, and in fact, I was still praying that I wouldn't wake up from a dream so wonderful.

     "My Terra, my precious Terra – kind and loving and intelligent and talented and so beautiful. She is everything to me. I really don't know what else to say, except that I love her more that I love life itself. I want the world to know," he declared, smiling at me, "that I love Terra Briar. And I want her to be my wife."

     A collective gasp came from the crowd. I stood there, speechless.

     He . . . he wanted . . . to marry me?

     I heard – vaguely – Raven's voice yell out, "Took you long enough!" But that didn't matter.

     "I know it isn't much," Squall continued, reaching into his pocket for a sapphire ring, "but it's all I have. It was my mother's engagement ring. Now I want you to take it. I want you as my betrothed." He knelt down and ran his fingers through my hair. "I want _you_, Terra – you and no one else. I will either love you forever or never love again. It's up to you to decide." He looked pleadingly at me and whispered, "Will you?"

     Looking into his chocolate eyes, I knew the answer immediately. There was no other possible way.

     I raced away for a moment, up the little staircase to the stage, up to meet my love. He stood and faced me, and without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed him and kissed him like I had never kissed anyone before. There was a stunned silence all around us, but I cared not. I promised myself to him, right then and there, all in that kiss.

     Seifer, meanwhile, took up the microphone again and said, "Well, guess it's a yes! And what a way to tell him!"

     The cheers of the crowd were deafening. They screamed and whooped and shouted for what seemed like forever, and as Squall and I finally parted, he slipped the ring on my finger and said softly, "I love you, Terra."

     "And I love you," I replied. "Now and forevermore."

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     In a letter to our families, we wrote:

_Dearest family and friends,_

_     If you're wondering where we've been for the past few days, it's time we told you. All three of us went into the Final Fantasy VIII virtual world. We've been here now for months, though to you it's been but a few days. We must tell you that we don't intend to come back. Luna has, regrettably, died recently. She wanted us to tell you that she loves you and is always with you._

_     As for the remaining two, we both are engaged to be married in a few months. Raven has a daughter now, named Flora Luna Almasy, but we call her Luna, in memory of our dearly departed friend. If you would, please leave sometime tomorrow open so you can come to our joint wedding. It would be wonderful to have you here and allow you to meet our soon-to-be husbands._

     _We will miss you terribly, but we are happier here than we ever could be in your world. We will visit you whenever possible, and bring our new families with us. And remember, we are always with you in spirit. May Hecate continue to watch over you._

_All our love,_

Raven and Terra 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*###*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Zelda til Rednaxelos – Well, folks, that's the last chapter. It's not over quite yet, though; we still have the epilogue left. Stick around for it!

Vamp Queen's Seifer-muse – That's it? She made me sound like a sap! I demand a rewrite! And make her get a good muse!

Vamp Queen – *smacks him on the head w/ a rolled up newspaper* Shut up. It was good. * To readers while pinning Seifer down by sitting on his chest* Well, folks, looks like we're just 'bout done. Hey, check out the sequels – _Always Yours – A New Fantasy_ and _Always Yours – The Fall Of Utopia_. Zelly already started the first on her account and the second will be posted and written by me (hopefully) before March, 2003.


	26. Epilouge

"Mom! Stefan is annoying me again!"

Raven sighed. "Look, Luna, you need to learn to just cope with being around Stefan. He's your magic partner and you will be training with him until you are old enough to beat me and your Aunt Terra." She smirked and winked at Terra. "Besides, your father likes him, his father likes you, and there has been talk of just engaging the two of you to each other. How would you like that?"

Satisfied with her ten-year-old running off screaming about killing her father, the twenty-nine-year-old settled in to have her discussion with her best friend. "How long have we been married again? I use it to keep track of how old she is."

Terra rolled her eyes. "Ten years in a month. Stefan's nine years, two months, and Merriweather is three years, five months. You and Seifer have been married for the same amount. And he married you for what reason, seeing as how you act like he means nothing?"

Smiling slightly, Raven just shrugged. "Can you see me clingy? He's just not the type. Besides, I show appreciation in other ways." A devious smile graced her lips. "So are you planning on adopting any more kids?"

"Not right now. Stefan and Merriweather are enough. Besides, I want to enjoy having them this young. We're going to get old in the future. I just want to train my babies. Speaking of which, when are the twins due?"

"In about a month. A girl and a boy. Seifer was just a bit shocked when he heard that I was pregnant again, so I decided to not tell him that it's twins." She patted her pink-clothed belly fondly, imagining the look on her husband's face when he would be told. She had certainly changed over the years. "They're going to be born on Christmas Eve."

"It's a new moon," Terra cautioned.

"I know. Only one of them will be with our Goddess. But that's all right. Perhaps this girl will be my successor. Only time will tell . . ."

"Do you remember that day? When we fought those sorceresses and you got a heart? I never expected to live through that, let alone turn out so well."

Raven nodded, remembering where everyone ended up. All of the upper SeeDs- Squall, Irvine, Seifer, Quistis, Selphie, and Zell- went onto an "only if necessary" status and now were called only for advice and the occasional training assignment. They had all settled in a small cluster of cottages on the shore of the sea near Balamb, turning themselves into a town they named "Utopia". Zell fell in love with Selphie and Irvine surprised them all with dating and finally marrying Quistis. There were others who lived in Utopia, but all in all, there weren't that many. Everyone knew everyone else. Seifer and Raven had married. They went back home to Earth every once in a while, just to check up on everyone. Their fathers were able to come to their wedding on the planet, and, although Mr. Moss didn't fully approve of their unmarried state at the time of Flora's birth, he liked Seifer and adored his granddaughter, spoiling her beyond her imagination.

Luna's family was devastated by her death. As an only child, she was the only thing that they really lived for. They no longer kept contact with the two and, the last that they heard, they had become living zombies. 

In the town of Utopia, Raven was a baker, partnered with, surprisingly, Squall. Seifer had opened a weapons shop where he made, sold, bought, repaired, and upgraded weapons. He also had a class that he taught and had promised the children that, at the right age, he would teach them.

Terra had opened a bed and breakfast, which was known throughout the entire continent as the best bit of paradise that you could find this side of heaven. Quistis was the schoolteacher for all the children that were old enough. Selphie ran a daycare, where her two-year-old triplets played, along with Quistis's two and a half-year-old girl, Terra's youngest, and all others under four.

Irvine had opened a restaurant that was rivaled only by the bakery and Terra's breakfasts. He had taken about three months before opening it to tour all the cities and find and create recipes. Zell had the general store where you could buy just about anything. He also helped out Seifer with his evening classes after the store was closed.

Terra and Raven had gotten closer over the ten years. Raven started to enjoy life and was now your typical mom. She wore black only on occasion and was known for being one of the best moms in the town. Terra grew more beautiful as she aged and that beauty was renowned, along with her successes. 

Each year, the two would take a day to go through the town and check each of the children for any magical talent. A boarding house, run by Edea, was where anyone with magical talent stayed, whether from the town or elsewhere. Now magic was no longer looked down upon and people were getting their proper training. 

Around the same time each year, one of them would go out and travel around to search for new potential. It was found in the strangest of places.

A few years earlier, Squall had found Ellone and received the news that she had died. She left behind two kids, Stefan and Merriweather, and Terra immediately adopted them. They had found out just before that Terra could not have kids due to trauma in the abdomen.

Making this place a true "utopia" was actually quite simple. There was a spell on the place to keep the people young and healthy until they saw their grandchildren grown. Then they slowly aged. However, the sorceresses and their spouses would be eternal until they were finally ready to end. There was no physical pain in all of Utopia and a man could do an honest day's work and come home to a loving family without stress and weariness from the day's work. Quarrels were more easily forgotten and there was no need for a lawyer in all of the vicinity. All were content and well-provided for.

Raven moved closer to Terra, and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. "Raven," Terra said, surprised. "It's a good eighty degrees out here, and yet you're so cold. Is something wrong?"

"I'm getting a little scared," Raven replied, almost in a whisper. "I'm getting such a bad feeling about these two." She put a hand over her developing uterus. "Something tells me that one of them is going to be our downfall… and it's such a terrible thing, having to go to war against your own child."

"Oh, Raven," Terra said to her. "What are you talking about? I thought I was supposed to be the one to take my worries overboard."

Raven stepped away, taking in the view of the town around them. It was so beautiful, so perfect… and yet…

"I fear that someday this town will be destroyed," Raven told Terra. "I can't bear the thought, but …all the same, it's there. This place is so wonderful, and to think that something might happen to it… it scares me."

Terra went to Raven's side and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's a good thing to prepare for the future," she said. "But let's not go too far ahead. Concentrate on nourishing your children for now. We'll face the next challenge when it comes."

"But can't you feel it?" Raven asked. "The wind is taking on a different chill. We can't ignore that, Terra; you know this, don't you?"

"I know that we mustn't worry ourselves like this, or we'd never be able to live normal lives," Terra responded. "But yes, I feel it too. Squall feels it, and Seifer feels it, as well as anyone who is sensitive to it. A time of change is coming. And when it comes, we'll face it the best we can, and hopefully, defeat it. We have a whole little army – us, our husbands, our friends, our children. We're a strong family, and that's how we'll protect our paradise, Raven – together, as a family."

"Do you think that we've found paradise, Terra? Or are we just fooling ourselves?"

Looking at her fellow sorceress, Terra just sighed. "Paradise is what you make it, Raven. And for me, I think that I'm just fine here, true paradise or not."

Sitting back, watching the sun set, Raven silently agreed. Until the end of her life, she would be here in Utopia. She was with those she loved. And that's all that mattered.


End file.
